


What's a King to a God?

by sunnywritesstuff, TheBarghestsNotebook



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bathing/Washing, Bottom Tony, Bottom Tony Stark, Captivity, Crying, Dark Loki (Marvel), Dubious Consent, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Extremely Dubious Consent, Forced Orgasm, Future Character Death, Hard Kinks, Hate Sex, Heavy Angst, Humilation, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, IronFrost - Freeform, Isolation, Kidnapping, Loki is controlling, Loki just wants a toy, M/M, Magic, Mind Control, Mind Games, Mind Manipulation, Multiple Orgasms, Neglect, Orgasm Control, Overstimulation, Panic Attacks, Power Dynamics, Psychological Trauma, Rape, Rape/Non-con Elements, Smut, Some Drug Use, Stockholm Syndrome, Suicide, Swearing, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Tony gets manipulated, Tony's going to be comatose for awhile, Top Loki (Marvel), Victim Blaming, almost forgot that tag, anchovies on pizza, basically tony gulps down some nyquills, but mostly it's just messed up, dubcon, no graphic gore, ptsd tony, there's some semi-normal sex, whoops, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-06-14 21:43:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 14
Words: 26,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15398097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnywritesstuff/pseuds/sunnywritesstuff, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBarghestsNotebook/pseuds/TheBarghestsNotebook
Summary: Taking place a few months after the first Avengers movie, Tony has begun to isolate himself as he tries and fails numerous times to cope with his PTSD. In fact, things only seem to be getting worse as he tries to hide his trauma from the others. Then Loki gets back on the scene, masking himself as he walks among the healing efforts to his destruction. Extremely bored, decides to target the billionaire genius engineer locked in inner turmoil and turn him into his personal toy. Tony does his best to resist, but his efforts become more and more futile. After all, what is a man to king, and what is a king to a god?*Based on a roleplay we are doing, sunnywritesstuff is playing Tony and editing the fic, and TheBarghestsNotebook is playing Loki. We took turns playing Pepper and the other more minor characters. Chapters will likely be of varying lengths and updates are aimed to be weekly!





	1. Nightmares are Daydreams

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, thank you for taking the time to read our story. While we enjoy our work and writing about these characters, the nature of this fic and the themes in it are pretty serious and graphic. We want all of our readers to know that while we did create this story, neither of us condone rape or abuse of any kind, social isolation, mental manipulation, or suicide. This story is exactly what we intend it to be- fiction. It is important to remember that while people may enjoy reading stories like ours, the ideas and themes in our work should stay purely fictional and should not be brought into real life.
> 
> We do not wish to inspire or motivate anyone to reenact anything violent from the story, and we do not recommend the work to anyone who is easily triggered by the themes we put in the tags, or heavy/serious topics in general. Please keep yourselves safe, we would never want to be responsible for someone having an attack from reading our work. If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, you can access the suicide hotline here: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/. If you are currently in an abusive relationship, or know someone who is, you can access the domestic abuse hotline here: http://www.thehotline.org/. Thank you again for reading and enjoy the story!

A few months, more like a few minutes to the god of mischief. The Earth had settled down after his failed invasion. The humans were recovering as they did, as they always did. And he had spent his time in a jail cell on Asgard. But no one could keep him locked up. Not even Heimdall with his ever seeing eyes could always follow Loki. 

The god found his way back to Earth, back to the city he had tried to destroy. No one really knew what he looked like, he would blend in with the public easily. Hide in plain sight. And he did. And he watched. And he waited. Until that small spark of magic that he left in one of the pesky Avengers finally crossed his path. Tony Stark. The man who risked it all, the man with the metal heart. Snarky, that one was. With enough knowledge that Loki almost thought he could respect him. Almost. Maybe he should pay the human a visit.

Tony tinkered with one of his old inventions; it was going to go nowhere. Even if the circuit was rewired and, by some miracle, it was fired up, the idea had been a shitty one and it was just a prototype. But he needed to keep his hands busy, his hands that sometimes shook. His hands, his genius hands, that could not save him from the aftermath of being in an alien war. 

Aliens. In New York City. Aliens that almost killed him, but more importantly, his team. Things were rebuilding, slowly, Tony saw it on the news in glimpses before he had to turn off the tv and quietly excuse himself into the bathroom to wheeze and clutch his chest in peace. He hadn't gone outside for a very, very long time.

This poor broken human...it was pathetic. To see someone with so much attitude and pride really be a shell of a man with nothing but fear inside. It was like looking in a mirror and it was disgusting. Loki watched the human from the shadows, hiding himself from view and senses. He could get this human alone, when no one was close enough to interfere.

"Sir," JARVIS addressed him as he worked, "Ms. Potts has gone out for the day." 

"Okay," Tony worked almost robotically himself, almost begging his reflection in the chrome to look assured. Casual. Intelligent. Brimming with ideas again. He almost begged the object in front of him to have some new, profound meaning. He wanted to be Tony Stark again; playboy genius Tony Stark who was coming up with a brand new invention right now and who was a very busy and brilliant man. 

But that...Was a dream from before. He was Tony Stark who was breathing heavily right now for no reason, Tony Stark who had not touched a suit in 4 months, who was fiddling with a shitty old car engine for no reason at all. He was not casual, cool Tony, he looked like a madman who was much like the object in his hands, broken and useless in a world full of higher expectations.

"Maybe if you keep staring at it, it'll do something," Loki whispers, staying hidden. He wasn't ready to appear just yet. Maybe whisper to the dear human for a while. Let him think he's hearing voices. Or maybe, offer help and make him think that this voice is helping him. Provide guidance. He'd done it with so many before now, why not keep going? 

Surely, Tony would listen to the little voice in his head that was helping him make sense of the world. He knew enough from watching the humans build the portal. "Maybe the engine isn't the problem. What about your tools? Or the components feeding into the engine?"

The troubled engineer dropped his pliers and froze. This was his new flight response when he felt an attack coming on. Like a child who heard a noise in the night, cowering under their bedsheets, hoping the monster wouldn't get them. It was an animalistic response, this deer-in-the-headlights business.

He should be calling his suit and turning around, but his labored breathing got heavier. His whole body felt like it was made of lead, like he was a lead balloon floating in the sky with the thinnest air in the world. Things began to spin and get disproportionate, maybe he should try drinking water once in awhile. Was he going insane, or was that the very familiar voice of someone he knew almost too well?

"I should calm down," Loki whispered again. "There's no need to be afraid. JARVIS would let me know if someone was here. No one's here. I'm okay. I'm safe." He couldn't have this human shutting down just yet. He would, but not yet. No, he would take things slow and let Tony get accustomed to his presence.

That was Tony’s breaking point. A little bit of fire flooded through his veins, not enough to make him call the suit, but enough to make him whirl around in anger. 

"Hey," he panted, "Show yourself, Blair Witch Project, I'm not up for your magical shenanigans right now. You coming back for that drink?"

The charade was up, but Loki couldn't help giving it a bit more pizazz. He moved right behind Tony and leaned in to talk into his ear, fully revealing himself. "I would love a drink, actually."

Tony cursed loudly and fell to his knees, his wheezing becoming very obvious and embarrassing. No one, not even Pepper, had seen him in this state before. 

He gripped his chest, the lightheadedness getting worse, "What the fuck are you doing here? Huh? What do you want from me?"

"Well, the mentioned drink would be nice," he said, looking down at the human. He looked so good on his knees. "But you may not be in the position to do so. I would get it myself, but I do like this view." He crosses his arms, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"Did you just," the coughing and sputtering started, "Did you just come here to annoy me?" Tony blindly reached out, he hadn't called the suit, but he almost wished it would come to him so he could be him again. So he could be Iron Man, punch the big bad guy in the face and call it a day, walk outside and enjoy his life again. But only air brushed his fingertips that shook. He closed his eyes, trying to control his breathing, when the visions started. 

The child in the middle of the street with sightless eyes. The Chrysler building reduced to a pile of rubble. The strange creatures that littered the ground. He could smell the death, the blood, the ash, the dirty street. Dark spots danced across his vision, and finally he was overwhelmed. Tony fell forward, unable to keep himself functioning.

Loki knelt down next to him, letting his magic slowly wash over the human. While they were together, he would feel no fear. He would have no tremors. His heart wouldn’t seize. He would be safe. But only if they were together. “Relax, dear Stark. Relax,” he whispered into the human’s ear. “Your mind is no longer playing tricks on you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! We will try to post chapters weekly and we welcome any comments or feedback!


	2. Ant Meet Boot

Tony wrapped himself in his silk robe. After the alarm went off, Pepper had turned her car around to get home and see what the commotion was. She had found him in an odd and dysphoric yet happy state surrounded by various guards. After determining that he was okay, she'd had a stern talk with him about his health. One of those "What do you think will be the best option for you to heal?" talks. 

They'd decided he was going to spend some time in California, alone, away from New York. The alone part was what had concerned her most, "Tony, you can barely handle yourself when I'M here, let alone when you're in a state like this." 

Tony had told her, very adamant, that he would be okay. JARVIS would be with him; and, Tony added, New York was the problem. He just needed to be alone for awhile, somewhere else, doing something else. Pepper had finally complied.

“And people say I’m a narcissist,” Loki says, leaning against the entrance to the closet, holding a hanger up and scrutinizing one of Tony’s Iron Man themed robes,“I’m going with you even have a shirt with your face on it, don’t you?” The trickster looks up at the man, face calm but eyes alight with mischief. Would he sink to his knees again? That would be quite nice.

The engineer was again unprepared, but not as shocked, "Stop messing up my things. They're color coded, you know." He was going to try to keep his cool, he didn’t need to have another episode right now when he was about to relax. He could just tell this guy what he wanted to hear so he could go be on his merry way.

“Color coded? As here I was thinking I was organized,” he says, moving the robe and letting it drop on the floor with a fwump, a look of slight distaste on his face.

Tony instantly swooped down and picked up the robe. He shoved it back onto the rack, the hanger clattering against the pole as he angrily jammed it back into its place.

He gave Loki a swift push to the chest to move him away from his things, “Look pal, I don’t know why you keep showing up here or if you’re even real, but I’m REALLY not up for this. I don’t want this to be a regular occurrence, I don’t want you here, I don’t want this. I thought we were done with you.”

The god of mischief lets himself be pushed back, “You can never truly be done with me,” he says, “you can truly never be rid of me. Not when my magic has touched you so.”

“What the hell did you do to me?” Tony stormed up to the trickster god, “And why?” Great, magic was involved. The one thing he didn’t understand. 

“Would you have rather spent your life in crippling anxiety and fear?” he asks, “Would you rather have your heart seizing at any moment because of what you’ve seen?”

The beginnings of an anxiety attack began to form in Tony’s chest, but then that strange feeling washed over his body again, refreshing him like a cool drink of water. So, this was the great Loki’s magic. 

He was strangely calm in the presence of this tyrant, this mass murderer who almost killed him and his friends, the unstabled alien who almost took over the world, “I didn’t ask for this, asshole. All magic comes with a price, I know this isn’t free.”

"Of course it comes with a price," he says, poking Tony in the chest, "so maybe you could be a bit more polite to me in the next coming weeks. Such as not calling your guards and treating me like an honored guest."

“And why should I do that, reindeer games? You haven’t even told me what your price is. Who’s to say I couldn’t call your brother back here to drag you back home to mommy and daddy? You’re not an honored guest, you killed hundreds of people! Stop playing around and get out of here before I give you a second reason to get out of New York,” Tony spat, batting Loki’s finger away, enraged. Who did this guy think he was? Whatever little spell was cast on him could surely be removed. He wasn’t about to be afraid of this Asgardian greaseball. He’d beaten him before, he could beat him again, especially with his newfound strength.

Loki waited for Tony to finish speaking before giving a disappointed sigh. His hand shot out and grabbed Tony by the throat, much like during their first meeting.

"Don't you dare raise your voice at me, human," he hisses, "I escaped Asgard once, and I will keep doing it again and again."

He slammed the man against the wall, pinning him there. 

Tony was nothing without his suit, especially against a god,“As I said, you can't get rid of me, Stark. You can't at all. Just imagine how much worse your life will be without me. Imagine never having any release from your fears. Not even with your girlfriend and friends. Imagine having your nightmares come to life around you." And just like that, Loki was forcing Tony to see such images at the corners of his vision. Magic can give and magic can take away.

Feeling like he was suffocating in hot steam, the memories flooded back into Tony’s mind, the pressure on his throat constricting and the back of his head throbbing. His chest tightened painfully, the screams echoing once more in his ears. He wasn’t safe. They weren’t safe. Where was Steve? God, there were so many dead police officers... the sun reflected, glinting on their shiny badges as their sightless eyes gazed up at the sky. The sky.... it was dark, the giant portal enclosing on the earth. The gigantic aliens poured in, one was coming straight for him... 

Tony panicked in Loki’s grip, writhing, flailing about, trying to run, to get away. The heat thickened the air, the smoke filled his lungs, New York was in flames and he was caught there, stuck in place. Useless.

Loki leaned close, letting his cold breath ghost over Tony's skin,"You can see it all, can't you? The fire, the smoke, the death. It's all around you, isn't it? But it doesn't have to be this way."

He slowly releases the hold of the magic, letting it trickle away like a draining bathtub, letting Tony come up for refreshing air, "It doesn't have to be like that, you know. I can keep all that way from you."

Tony trembled and fell to his knees again, short gasps and wheezes escaping his throat as the coolness washed over him again. He was safe... somehow he was safe, with this monster.  
He looked up, unspoken scorn in his eyes, “And what,” Tony heaved, “Do you want from me?”

"Well, for starts," he takes a step back, "this is good. You on your knees before me. I do like that."

Tony scoffs, “Kinky, much?”

"If you say so," he says, "but I can make it really kinky if you want me to. Make you," he lifts one foot, keeping the heel on the ground, "kiss my boots. Ask permission for everything. Maybe even have you beg me to fuck you. Beg me to let you cum."

“Whoa pal, that escalated quickly. I thought this was gonna be a one favor type deal, aren’t you like a teenager or something by Asgard’s standards?” Now that he was recovering, Tony felt himself smirk a little. This guy must be desperate for ass.

With perfect balance, Loki crosses his arms and lifts up his boot and rests it under Tony's chin, "Then I'll slow it down. Kiss it."

Tony smirked and looked Loki in the eye before he spat on his boot, “Nice leg warmers, green bean. Or do you prefer jolly green giant? Oscar the grouch? The Grinch who stole Christmas?”

Loki smirked before bringing his foot back and slamming it right across the human's face. Not hard enough to break Tony's jaw, but hard enough to leave a nasty mark, "Very funny, Mr. Stark. Unfortunately, that was the wrong way to go."

This wrenched a pained yelp from Tony, “JARVIS, call Steve Rogers.” He scrambled to his feet to avoid further kicks.

"And here I thought you going to call Thor on me," he tsks as he walks closer and then kneels down to whisper into Tony's ear, "too bad. Maybe you'll be a better boy next time." He disappears.

“JARVIS, cancel that call, never mind,” Tony huffs, feeling victorious and angry at the same time. 

“Call canceled, Sir. Are you alright? I didn’t pick up a presence on my sensors, it was like I was blocked out. Could this be the work of a hacker?” JARVIS replied, dutifully.

“Nah, uh... Don’t worry about it, kay? I’m going to bed now, make sure all systems are secure and that my alarm is set for tomorrow. I can’t miss the plane,” Tony responded, knowing that confiding in his AI wouldn’t help. He sighed and shut his closet door, the unnerving essence of the god still hanging about, even when he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be posted next Saturday, but for now please rate and comment to let us know what you guys think! :)


	3. The First Step Into Submission

Loki always had a habit of showing up when Tony really didn't want him to. Right before bed. When Tony looked at himself in the mirror. At the corner of his vision. Bumping into him on the street. Eating food out of his fridge. Wearing his clothes. He was a nuisance, a pest. But even then, without him, every day without him, Loki made sure that Tony would remember that it was he that could only bring the human some relief.

Settling down to work on another old engine, Tony admired the quietness of the house. In the mornings when Loki wasn’t around, sipping a mimosa while staring at the languid waves rolling onto the shore was very calming. Today, though, he was a bit stressed. Festering anxiety was pent up inside of him. Loki hadn’t been seen all day. Tony had noticed that the magic got weaker when Loki spent longer amounts of time away from him, like yesterday when he showed up at dinner. Tony expected him soon but lost himself in his work anyway. Hours passed, Tony had managed to stomach a shitty salad and a beer for dinner, but still no Loki. He wondered if the god was trying to starve him out. By the time it reached 10:30pm, Tony put two and two together.

The Asgardian was indeed trying to starve the human out. Make him just desperate enough to give in to whatever the god demanded for the tiniest amount of relief. He would appear soon, but not for another day. He wanted Tony to feel his fears and anxieties seeping in around him, crawling towards him from the shadows. The nights would be the worst, and the days only better by a small margin. Tony would yield.

It was 3:47am. The air conditioning was almost cranked up to the max, and Tony fell into an unsettled slumber, finally. After the relieving black wave of sleep crashed over him, the clutches of nightmares took him. Smoke. Fire. Death. His friends, chased by beasts of the sky, and him, rooted to the ground. Useless. Broken. Fearful. Tony woke up in a cold sweat.

And there was Loki, standing at the foot of his bed, barely visible in the dark, hands behind his back, as he watched the human. The way the man tossed and turned as he fought off the night terrors was entertainment enough, but he decided it had gone on long enough. 

"Sleeping well, I hope," he says, a smirk evident in his voice.

“What the fuck?” Tony jolted back, pulling his covers over his shirtless chest, clearly frightened greatly.

"I guess I should take that as a no, then,” Loki grinned, successfully serving up shit with a smile.

Tony was still not comforted by Loki’s presence. The god expected an offering if he was to continue his “magical” services. 

“What do you want,” Tony breathed heavily, leaning back and looking Loki in the eye.

Loki doesn’t say anything, only lifting up his booted foot and placing it at the edge of the bed.

Trying to compose himself, Tony sucked in a breath. The fear was too great and he craved relief. Only Loki could take away the pulling in his chest, the anxiety that kept him awake. He was so desperately exhausted, and he knew what he had to do. The bastard wasn’t going to be happy unless he crawled over and planted one on his boot, so Tony got on his hands and knees, sharp pains piercing through his chest as he crawled to the foot of the bed.

He hovered for a moment, wondering what exactly he was getting himself into. Was this demeaning bullshit really worth it? His shortness of breath worsened, and an especially awful chest cramp caused his face to twist in pain and he squeezed his eyes shut for a good few seconds and took some deeper breaths with no avail. Finally, he leaned down and kissed the tip of Loki’s boot, quickly resurfacing and sitting up. 

“Was that really so hard, Mr. Stark?” Loki asked as his magic wafted over the human. The anxiety should be receding, same with the fear and pain. He had finally done what Loki asked, so he should have a reward. The god reached forward and gave him a head pat, taking great satisfaction in bruising the billionaire’s pride.

It should have been reassuring, but Tony knew what was going on. Loki intended to break him. He was a controlling god who demanded worship, and if Tony didn’t give it to him, he would be driven mad. 

”I’ll be driven nuts anyway, this is insane. I’m a grown man and this guy is having me submit to him like I’m some young twink trying to make a quick buck at the nightclub,” Tony thought. 

He backed away from Loki after his head was patted, his face twisted in an uncomfortable expression, but one of silent acceptance. He was going to have to play the game, but how far was Loki going to take it?

“I asked you a question, human,” Loki says, grabbing Tony by the jaw, “It would be a good idea for you to respond when I speak to you directly.”

“No, it wasn’t hard, but it was demeaning,” Tony grumbled, not breaking eye contact, even though he trembled a bit under Loki’s touch. He braced himself for a punishment slap.

"Good," Loki smiles, bringing Tony's face forward and ramming it into his knee, "Let this be a lesson, Stark. What I ask of you isn't difficult at all, but you will have to put your pride away. Humble yourself."

A pained sound that was between a yelp and a drawn-out groan escaped Tony’s lips, he felt the hot rush of blood before he saw it, and his nose began pouring blood as his face throbbed. This brought him back onto his knees, as he reached out for the box of tissues next to the bed.

Loki reached out again, touching the human's face, "No need for that. As long as I am here, I can take care of you,” the wound begins to heal, “And as long as I'm not, any wound you suffer will never truly heal."

Tony gasped, hearing a few cracks as things magically moved back into place. The blood disappeared too. 

“Why even bother healing me?” Tony inquired, attempting to sit up again, “You don’t like me, that’s why you’re doing this to me.”

"Please, I'm not doing this because I don't like you. Quite the opposite, actually. You are...more interesting than any of the other humans I have met and you have put yourself on such a pedestal that I can't help but want to take you off of it. And what better place then under my foot?" Loki tapped his fingers together, pacing a bit at the foot of the bed.

Tony’s lip curled in disgust, “So this is a power trip for you. Just how much do you expect from me? I may be interesting, but I’m only one man.”

“Then once you stop entertaining me, I shall throw you to the side,” Loki says, “so maybe you should think of how to keep yourself interesting to me.”

Tony was defeated in the argument in this respect. He picked at his bottom lip, unsure of what else to do. It was extremely late, he was exhausted, and this crazy son of a bitch was slowly turning him into a toy. Really, all Tony wanted was to go to sleep.

Loki smiles, “Now be a good boy and go back to sleep.”

Tony, defeated and tired, cautiously laid back down. He made a mental note to learn how to sleep with his eyes open; but for now the stress and exhaustion that had consumed him for hours were taking their toll. He quickly fell back into the lull of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for reading and supporting the fic, please rate and comment if you're enjoying the story so far. The next chapter will be posted next Saturday!


	4. A Game of Pain

The bullshit started up again a few days later when Tony had decided to make himself some dinner for once. He was trying his best to chop the carrots for a stew that was supposed to last him the next three days, but the knife kept "slipping" and the cuts on his fingers were becoming innumerable. 

Tony chocked it up to him being not much of a cook; after all, other people usually did this sort of thing for him. Then, somehow, the first spoonful of his perfect-temperature meal had scalded his tongue. After finishing the rather tasteless and borderline painful dinner, Tony had gone to bed. 

He wouldn't recognize the signs of Loki's interference until a few days later, however. Paper cuts, two stubbed toes, a banged elbow that hit right on the funny bone which kept his left arm feeling perpetually tingly, sleeping wrong which gave him a sore muscle in his back, and a number of other small inconveniences. Separate, they wouldn't have been that bad. But all together, Loki knew that even the tiny things could be overwhelming. 

The human wouldn't find relief in his medications or alcohol. Nothing would dull the pain, nothing would make it go away. Cuts may not bleed but they would still sting. Bruises wouldn't heal. Tony was going to be stuck in a painful loop of inconvenience, and Loki wouldn't help him until he asked. The trickster god even went so far as to fiddle with some of Tony's work, nothing too severe, but enough to give him a fright.

Tony decided he needed a rest, giving up on the circuit board he had been tinkering with today after some of the wires had 'conveniently' gone missing. 

"So," Tony thought, "The bastard's going for the 'subtle' approach this time. Well, I can hand it to him, I'm not going to give him what he wants just yet."

He put down his electronics and made his way upstairs to his balcony where he moved one of the patio chairs into the direct sunlight. If he laid down and did nothing, there was nothing this asshole could do to him. Plus, he could ditch his farmer's tan and get a little color into his skin.

After stripping off his shirt and shorts, Tony climbed onto the chair and decided to take a short nap. Avoiding his stinging toes and numb-tasting tongue, he tried to enjoy himself.

The problem was that Loki was never a fan of the tanned body. He could never tan himself, and he had heard enough of human science about how harmful the sun was. He couldn't have his human trying to have fun without him, that couldn't be allowed. A short nap wouldn't be very short at all. A soft whisper, a soft lullaby, and the human would find himself asleep for much longer than he wanted. That should teach him.

An overwhelmingly awful feeling swept over Tony when he awoke. When he opened his eyes, he was blinded by the bright sunlight. How could that be possible? He had laid down during the real heat of the day and obviously had just dozed off. 

His front prickled and itched, and that was when Tony noticed he had turned over in his sleep. When he tried to get up to check his phone, he was almost fell right over. He felt lethargic and disgusting, and worse-- He had a wickedly awful sunburn. Tony groaned in frustration and grabbed his phone off the nearby table before retreating back inside. 

"Hey, dickhead! This shit isn't going to work! A little sunburn isn't gonna shut me down. Joke's on you, Frosty the Snowman!" Tony was clearly dehydrated and possibly a little delirious. 

The air conditioning and water machine down in his lab would surely make him feel better, even if his entire body ached. Painfully making his way down the stairs to the lab, Tony grumbled about how he should have stayed down there to begin with. 

Loki couldn't help but silently chuckle at the nickname. The human could cover himself in as much aloe vera, medicine, cold water and ice as he could, and it still wouldn't be enough. Sleeping would be awful. Only cold showers for him. Everything would be so warm. Tony would beg for the feeling of Loki's cold skin against his, the only thing that could soothe the pain. And Loki would wait.

Sitting by the air vent, Tony hissed as his burned thighs came into contact with the chair. He drank cup after cup of the water, but nothing was managing to quench his thirst or cool him down. He was both amazed and weary of how the water in his mouth did nothing to attenuate the unbearable dryness. 

When the water stopped working, Tony angrily tossed the plastic cup across the room and huffed. His breathing was getting bad again. The engineer stewed furiously in his chair, crossing his arms and leaning his head back, trying not to groan because he knew the evil god was surely watching him. When he tried not to focus on his pain, he noticed a strange hissing sound coming from the other side of the room. Tony dragged himself up to go investigate, going over in his head if he turned things off... That was when he finally saw the clock. 

11:34 am. He had gone outside at 11:23, which made absolutely no sense. He had been laying outside for hours. The engineer checked his phone and was shocked to see that it was the next day. He had been asleep for almost a full 24 hours. Which meant that the lab was not properly shut down. 

Even if JARVIS saw a problem, he wouldn't have been able to fix it because of... And then the reality of things sunk in. The trickster god was going to try to kill him, almost, until he complied. Before he could further scope out what sounded like a pipe or a drum under an immense amount of pressure, a deafening explosion filled the room.

Loki was sure the human wasn't going to die. He would be badly injured, but not dead. Thanks to Thor's escapades, he knew all too well about concussive forces and other such matters. The human would be relatively fine. He watched as Tony's body was thrown across the room, watched him roll and sputter. The god removed his hands from his ears and closed his mouth. Loki was fine and he was enjoying every minute of this. Tony was uncomfortable as uncomfortable could be and it was making his heart light up with joy.

After the initial explosion, the rest of the pressured gas escaped shortly. Tony barely heard it, curled up in a little ball on the floor, shaking and trembling. He could hear nothing but the ringing of the explosion in his ears and he could feel his chest collapsing and expanding, his breathing coming in rapid gasps as his lungs struggled to find breath. He shook so much he couldn’t even get up. He closed his eyes briefly before he mustered up the nerve to call Loki.

The engineer could barely hear his own voice, “Hey, Loki, I get it, I'm done with this game, damn it. I'll give you something you want, just make this shit stop!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, we hope you are enjoying the story so far! Please rate and comment, and the next chapter will be posted next Saturday as always. :)


	5. Kisses and Payments

“I must commend you for your perseverance,” the god says, walking forward. He knew the human couldn’t hear him. He walks forward into the world, into view, a smirk on his face. He kneels down in front of Tony, cocking is head to the side. 

He reaches out and snaps, the sound reverberating through the human and calming the ringing, bringing back his hearing, “And what are you prepared to give me?”

It was surprising how the effect of release could feel so jarring, but Tony relaxed quickly anyway. 

“A kiss,” he managed out, catching his breath and sitting up slowly.

“A kiss?” He repeats, “Where would you place this kiss, Mr. Stark?”

"Your cheek," Tony tries not to sound bitter, "You're not getting that lucky."

Loki hums, “Very well.” He turns his head.

Tony reluctantly leaned in to kiss Loki, "At least his skin is clear," he thought to himself.

And right before the human’s lips touched his cheek, the god turned his head so that their lips met. He was cold, so very cold. A frigid wave of frost started to cover Tony’s skin, cooling his sunburn and wounds.

Tony was almost, almost too prideful to pull away, but the sweet cold relief just felt so good. Putting his pride aside, he indulged himself in deepening their kiss.

Loki was pleasantly surprised that Tony kept kissing him. He had expected the man to pull away. But this, this was better. He would learn to always expect Loki to get his way, no matter the Human was comfortable with. He would extend his boundaries and then be rewarded for it.

After drinking in the sweet, cool essence of Loki's chilly being, Tony reluctantly pulled away. His body wanted him to ask Loki to take off his shirt so he could rub himself against the god's cool skin, to beg for Loki's cool hands on his damaged skin and overheated body... 

But he was feeling quite a bit better at the moment, and not so willing to give up more of his pride. Not yet. He had made a mere allowance in his defiance against Loki, that was all. He was still going to resist...Just not so much this time that it almost killed him. He didn't think his body could go through that again.

Loki looked at Tony deviously, “I could feel your hesitation. Are you so sure you want to pull away?” 

The frost was already bringing to melt,“If you had stayed put, I assure you, you would have been healed. But maybe you prefer to have your skin peel.”

"You're no healer, everything you do is based on illusion and--and I don't wish to demean myself any further," Tony stood up, still feeling a bit dizzy and unsteady on his feet, "And, well, you just tried to kill me. I don't want to get naked with you just yet, Jack Frost. You crossed a line."

“And what line did I cross, Stark?” He asks, standing up as well, being a good head or so above Tony, looking down at him, “I did not try to kill you. I know how fragile human bodies are, I would not have let you die.”

"Yes, you would. That's your thing, you torture me until I can't take it anymore, and then you make me beg you to help me. But I could refuse. One day, I could refuse. And I have no reason to believe you wouldn't leave me there to burn for disobeying your orders. You're very capable of finding another human 'object' to turn into your next slave," Tony babbled out, his body not yet entirely healed. Loki hadn't given him the full healing run-through as usual, and the recent explosion was reminding him of that day in New York far more than he desired.

Loki sighs, the human just wasn’t going to stop talking,“You could refuse.” 

He backhands him across the face, “And you would be dead. But tell me, are you willing to die for your spite and leave all of your friends and colleagues behind? Tell me, what do you think they’d do if you killed yourself? What would your legacy be?”

Instantly stepping back and trying to resist the urge to rub his sore cheek, Tony tried keep his cool. If he poked the bear too hard, he would be walking out of this one with more than just a sore cheek.

The engineer tried pacing to calm himself again, "I wouldn't have killed myself. It would be you. You would have killed me."

“It wouldn’t have looked like that to anyone else. Not even your AI can sense me, so why would they? What would they think of you?” Loki placed more seeds of doubt into Tony’s mind.

Tony was out of jabs, his poor arguments resulting from another panic attack forming and his newfound unfortunate desire of craving Loki’s skin to soothe the pains he had been bearing for a couple of weeks now, "Then what else do you want right now? I gave you your kiss."

"It seems to me that you are craving something you are not speaking of," he trails a cool finger across Tony's arm, "Maybe I should help cool you down a bit more, hm?"

"What else do you want me to do?" Tony was quick to say, "You want me to make out with you? Handjob? What is it?" He was eager to get whatever Loki wanted over with.

"I’m thinking..." he looks the human in the eyes, "flesh against flesh curled up together. You would be the little spoon, of course."

"As you wish," Tony said almost sarcastically, not wishing another punishment, "Follow me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading once again and please rate and comment! Next chapter will be posted next Saturday as well. (:


	6. Stupid Games and Broken Bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little extra warning here, this chapter has implications of rape (we didn't actually write the details of the scene, just cut to the end of it) and if you aren't comfortable with that it might not be a good chapter to read. Otherwise, enjoy!

After much convincing and...persuasion, Loki had finally gotten Stark willing to cuddle him on a regular basis. It became a requirement that when Loki appears the two would cuddle, no matter what Stark was doing. The god had made sure the human learned that lesson quickly, if not harshly. The bruises had yet to fade from where Loki would...remind him of his place. He liked to trace his fingers around them as the two laid together, another subtle hint at why being complainant was better than the alternative.

Tony's skin prickled as Loki's fingers brushed gently across his thigh, the same fingers that had put the bruises there so harshly. He knew he shouldn't be aroused by it, but it was kinda hot. He wasn't going to lie to himself, but Loki didn't have to know that. Tony shifted his leg a bit to hide his dick, which twitched every time Loki's fingers trailed over his sensitive skin.

Loki, on the other hand, had no shame when it came to his enjoyment. He would hum when Tony showed any form of discomfort. As for erections, Loki would normally hit half mast fairly quickly. He would never admit that it was because he craved this sort of calm touch with someone else. Instead, he would ever so slightly rub against the human's ass.

Tony felt it again, Loki's bulge brushing up against his butt. Every now and then, when Loki thought Tony looked his most uncomfortable, he would do the same thing. Tony tried to ignore it, but this time he squirmed a bit in Loki's arms and tried to resist giving a frustrated huff when he realized this was what Loki wanted. The little tease made his dick fill out a little more and it was getting harder to hide.

Loki was enjoying himself immensely He knew the human was growing harder with the passing moments, it was going to get frustrating for him soon enough. "You know, Stark," Loki whispers into the man's ear, "if you ever want to deal with...this," his fingers inch down Tony's waistband, stopping right before the noticeable tent in his boxers, "you can if you ask nicely."

The combination of Loki whispering in his ear and then touching him...there, had his cock springing up almost into Loki's hand, "There's nothing to deal with." Tony spoke quietly, still in denial.

"Do we need another lesson about why lying to the god of lies is a bad idea?" he asked, his voice dropping into a low growl.

Tony shivered, "Mark me down as scared and horny!" he thought.

"No," Tony said quietly, again, "At-At least kiss me first. Don't be a savage about it. Please." The engineer decided he was going to play around with Loki today, maybe get revenge for some of those bruises.

Loki chuckled, propping himself up and leaning over Tony. He placed a soft kiss on the man's mouth, tongue sliding slowly across his lips.

Tony almost smirked into the kiss at the thought of giving the "god of lies" blue balls, but he managed to avoid the suspicion by opening his mouth for Loki to invade with his tongue, just like the good boy Loki wanted him to be.

Keeping the kiss nice and slow, Loki didn’t move his hand closer to the bulge. He wanted Tony to ask for it, to beg. He would draw it out for as long as he needed to.

Tony steadily made the kiss lustier as he moved his hands up to roam over Loki's back, he even mixed in a moan or two for emphasis. He really wanted to touch Loki's hair to really get him into the mood, but he wasn't sure if that move would be too risky.

Loki grabbed one of Tony's hands, placing it above his head on the mattress. He always needed to be in control, it seemed, even with the small things.

A stroke of fear rang through Tony at the loss of control over his left hand. This was going too far, he didn't actually want to fuck this psycho, but if he couldn't get away in time to convince Loki to back off, or if the god got too aroused, he wouldn't be able to reject him any longer.

Tony pulled away from the kiss, fear pangs making his chest clench, "Loki, um..." 

"This was a bad idea," Tony thought.

"What is it, Stark?" Loki asked, his eyes half closed as he was enjoying himself.

"The sex, I'm-I'm not ready for it, actually," Tony replied nervously, trying to remove his wrist from Loki's grip.

"Are you so sure?" Loki asked. He seemed annoyed now. Things had been going so well.

“Um, yes... Can you uh...Let me..go?” Tony tried to get out from under Loki now, taking silent victory in Loki’s disappointment and also trying not to seem fearful, which he sort of was.

"Why should I? Just because you're not interested in it doesn't mean that I'm not as well."

“B-Because, I don’t want to. You can’t force me, please don’t...” Tony wriggled away from Loki and tried to leave the bed.

Loki's gripped tightened. "Since when is this about what you want, Stark?" he asked, knowing full well that Tony couldn't get away from him. He shifted, making it so that his erection was rubbing against the humans.

“It-it doesn’t matter, asshole,” Tony spat, his fear turning to anger, “you can’t force someone to have sex with you. I don’t know what you call it on Asgard, but on Earth, we call it rape.”

"Can't and shouldn't are two different things, Stark," Loki growled, "I know full well what I shouldn't do, but I've done them anyway."   
He grabbed the side of Tony's face with his other hand. 

"I want to do something to you, and I'm going to do it," His eyes glowed.

“No, no, not today,” Tony hissed, his chest contracting with fear and short breaths, “I’d rather be punished by my mind and my nightmares, please, just leave. This wasn’t part of the deal.” 

He jerked his face out of Loki’s grip and tried to push the god off of him, “I never promised you this.”

"Then I will punish your mind and I will bring about your nightmares," Loki hissed.

He grabbed both of Tony's hands and pinned them above his head, the god's face set and eyes livid. 

"You will learn," Loki used more of his magic to keep them there, to lock them in place, "that when you lead me on," he yanks down Tony's boxers, "and try to squirm out of it, you will have to face the consequences." Loki was going to take what he wanted from Tony one way or the other.

“No, damn it!” Tony struggled as hard as he could, “Get off, fuck! JARVIS-“

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It was over, Loki was standing next to the bed, fixing his outfit. "Was that punishment enough?"

Tony didn’t feel like he was still in his body. He was somewhere else, where this didn’t happen. Even with the lube and the magic spells Loki used on him like a drug, Tony was in so much pain. His body was sore from struggling, silently screaming, and being used by the god. 

Even as he lay still, the magic beginning to wear off, he still felt himself trembling, his chest heaving. He didn’t want to roll over onto his back again, he didn’t want Loki to see him. Maybe it would be better to be smothered in pillows, he wouldn’t have to wake up in his body again if he let it happen. He slowly curled up, into a ball, refusing to look at Loki.

"I asked you a question, Stark," Loki's voice cut the air like a knife.

“Yes,” Tony barely choked out, trying to keep himself calm. It wasn’t really working, and he was aware he looked pathetic curled up like a child. He tried to get himself up slowly to retreat to his bathroom to go throw up, and it was a half success because he hobbled along the way on shaking legs to the door.

Loki moved swiftly to his side, helping him to the bathroom so he could empty his stomach.

He waits until the human has finished his business before saying, "Then you should hope I don't have to do so again."

Tony wished he had the strength to push Loki away again, but that he did not. 

After flushing the toilet, he turned around and tried to get up, but his legs still shook too much and his knees made a soft bump as they reconnected with the ground near Loki’s feet.

“Please leave me alone now,” Tony’s voice was barely audible and he didn’t look up at Loki, “I don’t have anything left for you to take.”

Loki felt a surge of satisfaction, seeing Tony on his knees, defeated.

It was such a wonderful sight. "Oh, trust me," Loki gently caresses his face, "you still have so much for me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter 6! We appreciate all the nice comments and kudos, please continue to give us your thoughts on the story! Chapter 7 will be posted next Saturday, Eastern Standard Time. :)


	7. A Drop of Freedom

Tony’s blood was still running cold after Loki had dragged him out from a vent and stripped him for another cuddle session. More and more, Tony was learning to just lay there and accept whatever Loki wanted to do to him. His power of disassociation was strong, and he tried his best to answer Loki’s questions as quickly as possible so he could go back to silence. 

Sometimes it wasn’t so quiet, and Loki complained to him about his various problems at home or had one-way conversations with himself next to Tony’s ear.

The engineer trembled every time he was touched, sometimes he got carpet burn on his arms and legs from Loki dragging him around, and Loki had been giving him higher and higher doses of magic to keep him sedated and calm. 

It usually worked to an extent, but it had gotten to the point where Loki had to use so much magic to get him to breathe correctly and stop shaking that his body would simply fall into a deep sleep.

This always made Loki angry, whenever Tony woke up from whatever comatose state he was in, his body was physically exhausted by the magic and he could barely move. So, sometimes Loki would put up with the trembling and Tony would, unfortunately, stay awake. Like now. Loki was whispering things in his ear again, Tony didn’t really know what he was saying after being zoned out. All he felt was Loki’s breath on his neck and his hands groping his body, but otherwise, Tony was in another world counting the seconds go by.

As much as Loki enjoyed having a fuck toy that trembled at the sight of him, it was losing its appeal. He had taken Stark because of his mind, of his wit. Now that it was gone, it wasn't fun anymore. Dragging the human out from his hiding places was becoming a chore. There could only be so many places to hide, after all. 

It was at this point, petting the human's head after dragging him by the hair from one of the air vents, that his sweet nothings were only there to reassure the man that Loki was still paying attention to him. But Stark wasn't paying attention to him. It was...tiring.  
He sat up and looked down at the pathetic human.

He was no longer the Stark Loki knew...but he would be the one he wanted,"Stark, look at me."

Tony’s heart began to beat irregularly fast after he was told to look at his captor. He hated looking at Loki. Laying down and spreading his legs wasn’t hard when he could focus on a vase across the room and think about making an engine in his head, piece by piece. Sitting here and laying still while Loki held him wasn’t hard when he thought about how many cars he owned, describing them in his head. 

But looking meant he had to actually pay attention, and that was something Tony hated. He turned around and looked at Loki, trying to keep the image of his 1997 gunmetal grey Bentley Cooper in his mind. It faded at the sight of Loki’s angry blues searing through him.

Pathetic.  
But very well.  
Loki grabbed Tony's arm, hefting him off the bed and out the room. He kept his grip tight so the human couldn't run away, but also so he couldn't fall over.

He dragged him through the house and to the garage, "You have no spark, no will. What kind of Avenger are you? That would you fall so easily? Nothing left in you, disgraceful. And here I was thinking you would be stronger than this. I hate being wrong, you know. And here you are, being infuriating as ever. So be done with it," Loki throws Tony to the ground in front of the old engine. He points at it and then at the toolbox.

"Go, then. This is what you've been missing, hasn't it? Working in your element? Then do so," The god turns on his heel and leaves, disappearing into nothingness. He'll watch from afar, for now.

It all happened so fast Tony could barely absorb it. He sat for a few minutes, half-naked, in front of the machine. His arm burned from being dragged around, but the pain was dulled at the sight of the engine.

Loki was gone, and a strange feeling of peaceful emptiness found him. He could be himself again, he could work without judgment or fear. After a bit of hesitation, Tony greedily ran his fingers over the engine, testing out all of the parts once again. He knew exactly how to fix it.

The change in the human was extraordinary as Loki watched him. Such a familiar environment. He would have to be careful when he re-entered Tony's space...or maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he would move from punishments to rewards. Tony had been such a good boy, after all. He deserved to has his own space.

In a matter of 10 minutes, the entire engine was fixed and Tony plopped back down, unable to keep the big grin off his face, “JARVIS, engine #23875 is fixed. Make sure you log this, okay?” 

“Yes, Mr. Stark, and congratulations. This is your first completed project in four weeks and three days. Would you like a list of the other projects you have marked for completion?” JARVIS answered. 

“Yes, give them all to me. I want to do them all,” Tony stood up again, moving to grab an old Ozzy Osborne shirt off the other bench.

It was a marvel, watching Tony work. Loki would wait patiently until he was done with his projects, however many of them there were. He would only interfere should Tony stop taking care of himself, like skipping meals. The moment Loki would hear Tony's stomach grumble, there would be food within reach. Nothing too extravagant, just a snack. Something to keep up the appearance of Loki not being in the area.

Tony barely noticed that food was appearing in front of him, he ate robotically, just to keep himself going. On two occasions, he hadn’t even wiped the axle grease off his fingers before stuffing French fries in his mouth. He didn’t really care about the terrible taste, he just had to keep working. 

Once his last project was finished, he sat in the car and decided to test drive it one more time outside instead of in the garage, turning on the alt-rock station before he commanded JARVIS to open up the door.

Loki sighed as he watched Tony leave. He didn't want to have to take his human out for a walk so soon, but he did need fresh air. He would follow, of course. It wouldn't be hard, he still had Frejya's feather cloak, he would fly along after.

Tony took the long road, the empty one that went through a long stretch of his property. Perfect for quiet, slow drives, a good car fuck, a drag race, or a long stretch where he could just floor it and zoom by in one of his fastest cars. He gained speed and drove all the way down the wide road, the new engine working perfectly as the car hurled forward.

The god wondered how long it would take for Tony to decide to turn back. He would have to, after all. Loki wouldn't let him get too far away. If he came back, then he would be rewarded. If Loki had to take him back...well, same old same old. It felt good to stretch his wings, but the sun was bright. Hopefully, the human's walk would come to an end soon.

Once Tony neared the end of the property, he slowed down the car until he could stop, the adrenaline rush passed. He began to feel very tired, satisfied, but tired nonetheless and made the decision to turn around. It was almost time for dinner anyway, and the sunset was basically over as he had driven past it. He took the drive back slow but pulled back into the garage before it got too terribly dark. Tony breathed out, relaxing in the comfy seat.

"It's good to see you returned on your own," Loki said, landing at the entrance of the garage as Tony got out of the car. 

The cloak was impressive, wrapping him in beautiful feathers with an iridescent glow, "I am proud of you, in that regard. Good job."

Tony stopped and leaned against the car, not stricken with fear since it didn’t appear that Loki wanted to drag him anyplace, but he was still cautious. 

“Thank you,” he said simply, looking at his feet instead of at Loki. He wondered if this was the beginning of some sort of extra-bad punishment for leaving the house and if it would get worse as the days went on.

Maybe the nice attitude was a facade. Tony didn’t get his hopes up for a decent dinner as he went to go put the car keys back on their designated hook along the wall, wondering what Loki was going to do with him now.

"Normally, I would have been...upset that you left without permission. However, you came back all on your own and I saw no attempt to ask for help. Therefore, I shall not punish you. Instead, you shall keep that amount of freedom. Your workshop will be free from me should you wish it. And you can take your drives and walks when you need to leave the home. However, do not take my gifts for granted. You cannot hide in here forever," Loki's short speech ending on a warning note. 

This surprised Tony so much that he actually looked up at Loki, “You mean that?”

He nervously fiddled with his hands, almost in the manner Loki did sometimes, “I don’t have to do anything?”

Loki smiled, "You have been very obedient these past few weeks, I do believe you have earned something."

His eyes gleamed, "But do not forget that I am still around. Enjoy your free time until I call for you again." He opened his beautiful wings and took off, shooting into the sky.

The shock quickly ebbed away, and Loki’s warning got buried deep in the back of his mind. Tony felt almost giddy, even though he was a caged bird compared to Loki and his beautiful wings. He could finally have dinner in peace, and watch tv while he ate like he used to! The only difference was not having Happy or Pepper around to bug him with work things. 

He did miss them, though, deciding to give them each a call before bed. He knew Loki wouldn’t let them visit, but he figured they would come looking for him eventually. After all, they thought he was living out here alone for mental health reasons. Somehow, he would have to convince them not to come to him; but for now, there was a cheeseburger and a glass of wine waiting for him in the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter 7, as always please like and rate the story and the next chapter will be posted on Friday since I won't have service for the weekend. Things have been a little busy lately, so we're doing the best we can. Got a lot of surprises coming up! :)


	8. A Long Leash Held Tightly

It had been a few days and Tony seemed much happier and healthier now that he wasn't focusing on not focusing. It was refreshing. He was doing more and Loki was finding the old enjoyment of watching him. He was feeding himself again, which was one less thing that Loki had to worry about. The god liked his pets to be somewhat autonomous. 

 

"What are you making?" he asked one day as he watched Tony in the kitchen. He had seen and eaten lots of human food and he always enjoyed learning new things. This, however, wasn't  
as...complicated as what he had seen before.

Tony jumped a little when Loki came up behind him to watch but relaxed a bit when he sensed that Loki wasn’t going to grab him. He seemed to just be curious today. 

Feeling safe enough to enlighten him, Tony gestured to what he was doing, “I’m making burgers for dinner, y’know those meat sandwiches I’ve brought home? They’re even better when you make them yourself.”

"Hm," Loki eyes the ingredients, "I've seen you humans eat these before but never with so many...vegetables along with them. Most of the time they just consist of...meat and fat."

Laughing and grabbing some more vegetables to chop, Tony found Loki's observations about burgers quite amusing, “Those are the main ingredients, sure, but you can add stuff. I like tomatoes and lettuce on mine.” He surprised himself with the laugh, it had been a while... but it didn’t feel wrong, even though he thought it should. This guy did rape him, after all. But with Loki happy, that meant he would be safe, so he kept up the act.

"What else do you plan on adding? And are you planning on making enough for the two of us?" the mischief god was glad that Tony wasn't shrinking away anymore. It was making things easier and not as...forceful. His touch wasn't always going to be harsh, after all.

"Lettuce, cheese, caramelized onions. Pickles, the salty kind. Sweet pickles are an abomination. And uh, ketchup I guess,” Tony explained, feeling a tiny bit uncomfortable now that Loki was so close by and not doing anything to him. 

He kept chopping a tomato, “You can eat with me if you want. I’m going to cook these outside on the grill. Is that okay?” Tony posed the question carefully, not wanting to lose what they had right now, even if he was a bit uncomfortable.

“I would be happy to eat with you,” he says, a soft smile on his face, "The view is excellent from your patio.”

Tony chuckled, a bit of his old wit returned, "I didn't pay 7.8 million for this place back in the day for my view to be shitty, that's for sure."

“When you say back in the day, that means that this house is worth more now, correct?” Loki was more relieved now that Tony was showing a bit of color, but he kept a close eye on Tony as he spoke, analyzing him. After all, he couldn’t let the human become too much of his old self again, that would just be counterproductive.

"Well, I was actually referring to myself. But yeah, sure, this place is worth a lot more too," Tony smirked, thinking about how carefree and young he had been as a new billionaire.

“Do you always spend your wealth on such frivolous things?” Loki asked, referring to the many nice things Tony owned.

"Well, I'm a bit different now. Y'know, there's something about being trapped in a cave in Afghanistan with a hole in your chest that changes a man," Tony felt like he might be overstepping his bounds a bit with the sarcasm, but Loki's magic was working especially well to keep him mellow today and it had been a good while since he had been dragged from a closet.

“Hole? Ah, yes, the one that pesky contraption filled that foiled my first attempt at making you mine,” he waves his hand, “But no matter, it seems what is quick and easy is not always the most fruitful option.”

Tony was again reminded of Loki's role in this situation, which took a bit of the bite away from his humor, and he decided to keep his mouth shut before he said something he would regret. He finished preparing the ingredients for dinner and carefully navigated around Loki with the platter in his hands to make his way to the patio door.

Loki followed swiftly, his own hunger growing at the scent of food. It wasn't what he was used to eating, but he would humor his human. He sat down and waited for Tony to serve him.

The grill was already warmed up, so Tony got to work toasting the buns and putting the raw patties over the coals, "This'll take a little while, you want a drink while we wait?"

“Absolutely. I would like a wine, something spicy, robust,” Loki replied, he could almost imagine the smell of the good Asgardian wine he was used to. It was a luxury he sometimes missed, but one he could spare in favor of his new toy.

"Sounds like a plan, I'll go look in the cellar," Tony replied and dutifully went to the cellar to collect a bottle. After grabbing some glasses, he set them on the table and gave them both a hefty pour. If he was going to be held captive, he might as well be drunk.

Leaning back and gazing over the balcony patio, Loki admires the landscape of the property. It was a good place to lie low, who would suspect him in the house of Stark? It would also be a good place to keep his base of operations, rule the world from a mansion with his own slave. It was a good start.

Tony took a quick sip of his drink before returning to the grill to remove the burgers and fix their plates, "Do you have any preferences in mind or should I just give you the works?"

Pausing to think for a moment before answering, Loki decides a meal shouldn't be that difficult to pull off, “I trust you.”

Tony then realized how carefully he had to prepare this "simple" burger. As peaceful as this night was, this was the same man who had dragged him out of his bathroom closet and stripped him naked, the same man who then forced him to suck him off and then lick him clean. If Loki wanted to punish him, he could very well do it, so there would be no messing up his food. 

Layering the burger cautiously; Tony made sure nothing was lopsided, didn't add too many pickles, not too much sauce, and it was virtually perfect. Maybe if the god liked his dinner, he would give Tony another of his small "rewards" instead of raping him again. After last fixing his plate with some grilled onions and tomatoes, and set it down gently in front of Loki before turning back to make his own.

Loki was enjoying watching Tony work on his order. It was adorable, watching the human fret about, making sure it was good enough for the god. It made his heart swell, and if Tony did well, he would get a reward. Something small. Maybe a sweet kiss instead of a forceful one. Maybe a chance to sleep unmolested. He still had to think it over.

When the food came he blew on it slightly, cooling it down to his liking before taking a bite, "It is...adequate."

Tony nervously set down his own plate, taking a gulp of his wine to try to calm himself down a bit, "That's uh, that's great. I did my best. For you." Tony decided to stop speaking before it became desperately clear how badly he didn't want to disappoint Loki. He did have some dignity left, after all.

Once the meal commenced, they seemed to lose track of time. Before Tony knew it, it was very deep into the night and the food was long eaten. Still, they drank.

"And then, I told them," Tony took a moment to hiccup, "Of course I added reclining seats, who the fuck do you think I am? Henry Ford?" And that was the end of his third drunken memoir of the night, leaving him to chuckle at his own joke before downing the rest of his glass.

Loki gave a very uncharismatic snort into his glass of wine. He didn’t understand the whole story, but the human was very cinematic and it was humorous to watch.

When Tony went to grab the bottle to pour himself another, he discovered it was empty. It had only been a few hours, but then again, Asgardians could drink. He remembered his various experiences with Thor at parties, chuckling at those memories as well. 

Even though he could have easily drunk until dawn while telling more of his stories, the bottom of the bottle seemed like a sign that they should wrap things up for the night.

"Well, I uh, I suppose that's enough of all my stories, then. It's getting late anyway," Tony remarked, reaching for a napkin to wipe his face before starting to get up.

Loki has never been as much of a drinker as Thor. He could go well through bottles when compared with humans, but he was still considered a lightweight. Toss it up to body mass, really.

“No more stories? I forget how short-lived you all are,” Loki says, stretching. It was late, but getting up seemed like more of an effort than he wanted to give.

Tony grabbed both of their plates and made sure the grill was off before pushing his chair in with his foot. Loki didn't seem like he wanted to move, which made him feel awkward leaving the god there, "I'm uh, I'm gonna go wash these."

"Good," Loki says, his head rolling to the side and his eyes looking out across the landscape, "It was an acceptable meal, Stark."

Tony nodded, trying not to try to read beyond Loki's seemingly apathetic demeanor as to not stress himself out more. After taking care of the plates and the empty wine bottle, he made his way back to the doorway and propped himself up against it, not really sure what to do with himself. 

Wondering if Loki wanted anything more from him, Tony decided to cut things to the chase, "Do you, um, do you want anything else from me?" He felt 'desire' wasn't the right word to use in this situation.

Not responding right away, Loki seemed preoccupied with his thoughts, "Yes. Come, pull up a chair and sit next to me." The wine must have done something to him. He was feeling more...in his own head at the moment.

Feeling a little dizzy at how tense things had suddenly become, Tony slowly made his way back over to the table and scooted his chair over next to Loki before sitting down, visibly nervous. He adjusted himself accordingly and tried to look more unreadable, even if he did resemble a schoolboy at the principal's office with the way he had his hands folded obediently in his lap.

"You can relax," he says, feeling how tense the human is.

"I don't plan on doing anything to you. You can play games on that phone of yours or read. I just...want you to sit next to me right now. I seem to have found myself..." he searches for the word, "melancholic, at the moment."

Tony knew damn well that if he even reached for his phone right now that he would be playing a dangerous game, "No, uh, it's fine, what's up?" He inched his hand nearer to Loki's, maybe if he was good he could still prevent an outburst...That is if there was one brewing. Something was up with the god tonight, and he wasn't looking to get whipped for insubordination. Being a good boy just for tonight wouldn't be a bad thing, he had to pick his battles after all.

As Tony's hand moved closer, Loki's actually moved slightly, opening up more, an invitation to take it. 

"Your night terrors," he says, resting his chin on his other hand, "They have decreased, yes? Lesser in intensity? Harder for you to remember them in the morning?"

Tony's heart leaped into his throat, beating more rapidly than before. He was faced with a very difficult question. Loki was referring to night terrors he had before, the ones about New York. Those, yes, those had decreased considerably with the aid of Loki's magic. 

They were replaced, however, by more fear. Fear of being beaten. Fear of imperfection. Fear of his lack of control. Fear, even, of Loki. But what was he to do, lie to the god of lies? 

He took Loki's hand, as not to be suspicious, and replied as honestly as he could, "Um, yeah, to a degree, yeah. Is...Is there something wrong? Am I doing something wrong?" The fact that he had not been hit yet almost astounded him. Whatever was going to happen, it was going to be bad.

"You're a human, so of course you've done something wrong. Isn't that a saying for your people or something? 'You're only human'? But...no, you have not displeased me. I just know that in the beginning they were much more apparent than they are now and I was...seeing if your body had either figured out a way to keep you from making noise and waking up at night or if my magic was still keeping those visions at bay. It is good to know that it's the latter. I would prefer that your suffering be from me and not something I can't control."

And just as things seemed to be tapering down, something in Loki's words had disrupted the magic hold on his mind, "...something I can't control." 

He was talking to Steve again on the battlefield. Steve? Why were they here again? What was going on? 

Tony's hand twitched in Loki's and he removed it, combing it through his hair. Maybe the stress of trying to please Loki was affecting him negatively again. Who knew? 

"Just why does it have to happen now?" Tony thought, blinking rapidly and trying to dispel the images of the Chitari that seemed to be popping up in his vision again.

Loki turned his head slightly and the look in Tony's eyes. The eyes were windows to the soul, as they always said. Smiles don't reach your eyes, the happy sparkle kept on a cold face. He reached out and gently placed a hand on Tony's cheek. His green eyes gazed into Tony's, "Stark, come back to me. I'm here. You're here. Ease yourself."

There was the slight trickle of magic, binding Tony to Loki, as had happened before. A sense of grounding, but also leashing.

Tony shut his eyes for a few seconds and when he opened them, they were gone. The hot flashes and smoke were fading away in favor of Loki's cool fingers on his face. He leaned into the god's touch regretfully, still craving the coldness he needed. 

He hadn't forgotten the heatstroke from the patio incident so quickly, "Sometimes the memories still come to me."

"That's unfortunate," he says, "The mind is something so complex that I cannot make it all at ease. It would require many hours of me prodding around in your head...and I highly doubt you are ready for that currently, or that you even want it." 

Maybe in the future, but not yet, not now. 

"It is something that requires trust on both ends, because I may," he rubs Tony's cheek with his thumb, "break something if I'm not careful. And I would hate to destroy your intelligence, it is one of your attractive qualities, after all."

"I um, I actually think I'm doing okay right now. I don't think I need more magic, at least not right now, I think I'm okay," Tony wasn't sure entirely if he was trying to reassure Loki or himself. He hated how good that thumb on his cheek felt, so cool and soothing.

"That's what I figured," his hand moved into Tony's hair, raking his fingers through it, petting him. Such a rhythmic, lulling sort of gesture.

"Thank you," Tony forced himself to look down. A submissive gesture, yes, but Loki's hand was petting his hair instead of enclosing around his neck, so he would have to survive.

Loki hums in response as he continues to play with the human's hair. Such fragile beings, really. He could envision himself yanking the human's head so hard it would kill him. But there was no need, no need at all at the moment. 

"Come, let us to bed. You said it was late and it's hard enough to get you to sleep in the first place," Loki remarks, taking one last look over the balcony into the darkness.

"Okay," Tony kept his head down and waited for Loki to get up first. He kept the smile off his face as he realized he would actually be able to sleep tonight.

Loki stands, letting his fingers linger for a moment before leading the way inside to the bedroom. As he walks, he starts to undress, getting down to his underwear before grabbing some of Tony’s pajamas, signaling that he wasn’t planning to do anything to the human. Well, nothing aside from cuddling.

Realizing Loki was treating him like a puppy today, Tony followed. He supposed that was better than being a kicked dog. He let Loki hand him his pajamas before he went to go take a quick shower and brush his teeth. 

Once he was finished, he made his way quietly back into the bedroom.

Loki was already in bed, under the sheets and laying on his side. He moved his arm closer to himself, indicating where Tony would lie. As always, the human was to be the little spoon.

Tony slipped beneath the silky covers and curled up in the curve of Loki's body. He took a risky move, hoping he wouldn't regret it, "Tonight was nice."

“It was nice,” Loki says, adjusting so he and Tony are more comfortable, “I do believe there will be more nice nights in the future.”

Tony smiled at the thought of more peaceful nights, even if they were with Loki. 

The guy wasn't half bad over a glass of wine and when rape wasn't on the table for later at night, "That would be nice too." Still, even with how calm things were, Tony began to question himself and their situation. Was what Loki was doing really forgivable? Why was some of it palpable to him? He should surely feel disgusted most of the time. Nonetheless, he would have to put his mind to rest in favor of some much-needed sleep.

“Good,” Loki wraps an arm around Tony and brings him closer. 

“Sleep now, Stark. I do believe you still have projects to work on in the morning," he places a kiss on the back of the human’s head.

Becoming tranquil mostly from the drunkenness overtaking him, Tony relaxed in Loki's arms. With the magic seeping into him, the sweet kiss didn't hurt his final release into relief. This was their first peaceful cuddle in a long while, and he could finally get a full 7 1/2 hours in before another day of being Loki's captive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, thank you for reading and rating as always! Today's rather long chapter comes a day early since I will be busy tomorrow. Our next chapter will be posted on Saturday, and it happens to be our longest one yet. Stay tuned everyone, we're so happy you guys are enjoying our monstrosity of a fic. ^^"
> 
> PS. If you want more Tony, check out my new Ironstrange fic, Trouble In Paradise. That one won't really be much like this one, a lot shorter and only one smutty chapter, but if you like Ironstrange feel free to check it out!


	9. Remembering Your Place Isn't That Hard

“Wear this,” Loki said, deadpan, and holding up a maid outfit that looked suspiciously risqué and suspiciously like it would fit the human.

Tony had been getting ready for an afternoon nap and hadn't seen Loki virtually all morning. It had been a couple of weeks and things were going slightly more smoothly than usual. He'd been allowed more time in his lab every time he didn't try to hide from Loki when he wanted sex, which was bittersweet, but demeaning. The god had just strolled in with a skimpy maid outfit that made Tony cringe upon recognizing it, "Where did you manage to find that?"

“The internet,” he said. “Now put it on.”

"You could have warned me if you wanted to do something kinky," Tony responded, getting out of bed and clearly annoyed that he wouldn't be getting to indulge in his usual siesta, "I have that same stupid costume in my closet, Pepper made me wear it once. I don't even know if it's in my size." He took the outfit from Loki and went to go change in the bathroom, risking the snide comments because he was probably going to be punished anyway.

 

“Of course it’s in your size,” Loki states. “As if I would make you wear something uniform fitting.”

Tony put the outfit on quickly so he could quietly rub some lube onto his hole before Loki got impatient waiting for him outside. Even if things had been more peaceful lately, he would never trust Loki sexually after he had been raped. To buy himself more time for stretching, he decided to submit a rather humiliating request to Loki, "I can maybe put a little makeup on if you want? It would kind of go with the look better."

Loki took a step to the side, showing that there was already a line of makeup on the bed. He points to the ground, “Kneel, I plan on making you a pretty little slut.”

Tony immediately peaked from behind the door, which was not all the way closed (as Loki desired) and quickly removed his fingers from his ass before Loki could see what he was doing. He gave his hand a rinse and dried it off before entering the bedroom and getting on his knees. At least he'd tried.

Loki lay on the bed and took Tony’s face in his hand. He brought the man close, making him teeter precariously on his knees. Should Tony squirm, he would fall over. Loki started applying the makeup. He seemed to know what he was doing, applying concealer and foundation, contours, colors, blush. He really was going to make Tony a pretty little slut.

Tony's legs shook, but he didn't falter. He kept up with workouts, especially so he wouldn't bruise like a peach from Loki's handling anymore.

After a while, Loki drew back. He pulled out a mirror for Tony to look at himself in. "There we go."

Tony forced himself to smile a bit, "Well, at least it matches with the outfit."

"It's almost as if you doubt my abilities, Stark," he says, making the mirror and makeup disappear, "for that, I do believe your tongue needs something other to do. Lick my boots clean."

"Jeez, he's so fucking sensitive," Tony thought, frowning. He kept his mouth clamped shut though, to avoid a worse punishment. Tony scrunched up his nose at the sight of a small but still annoying amount of grass and dirt sticking to Loki's boots.

Loki resisted the urge to slap the human. No point in messing up the makeup so soon. Besides, he would be crying it all off later. So, he sat back and watched.

Tony hesitantly licked the boot, getting a small tuft of grass in his mouth that tasted exactly the way he thought it would. While this was better than being held down and raped, it was still disgusting. He didn't want to think about it but silently hoped that Loki had only stepped in grass before he got here. Wanting to get it over with, Tony tried to force himself to lick the rest of the boot quickly.

"You missed a spot," Loki said, turning the boot slightly so that Tony could see a spot that he had most definitely cleaned.

Tony gritted his teeth and placed an extra long lick over the spot, looking Loki in the eye as he did so, "That good enough?"

"What makes you think you can look me in the eye?" he asks, grabbing Tony by the hair and laying him over his knee. The human's ass was so cute sticking up in the air like it was. 

He came down with a hard slap against one of the human’s cheeks, "You're going to say 'Thank you, master' after each slap, slave. You should be grateful I'm teaching you respect."

Letting out a pained "Ah!" as he was pulled by his hair, Tony struggled in Loki's grip, "What's the point of that? You're still going to punish me regardless!"

Loki grabbed him by the neck and stood up, holding him up high. A reminder of just how strong the unassuming god was, "Say it or pass out. Your choice, boy."

"Yes, master," Tony quickly choked out, his dick giving a bit of a twitch at the way Loki called him 'boy'.

"Good boy," Loki said, bringing Tony back roughly over his knee. He gave another smack to his ass.

"Thank you, master," Tony grunted.

Loki does it again. And again. And again. And keeps going. He's going to make Tony's ass bright red by the end of it. He also adjusts himself ever so slightly so that when Tony is forced forward from the slap, his cock gets some friction.

Resenting his cock for betraying him, he tries to focus on the revolting taste of grass in his mouth, not wanting to show Loki he got it up from being spanked. Unfortunately, the situation was somehow turning him on and he didn't know what do with that information.

"This guy fucking raped me," he thought, "how the fuck am I enjoying this?" Tony told himself it was from the friction alone. Just the friction.

"Tell me, slave," he said, fingers ghosting over the bulge in the dress and panties, "just how much did you enjoy that?"

His dick sprung up into Loki's touch as he lied blatantly, "It was a punishment, was I supposed to enjoy it?"

"Oh, you are a terrible silver tongue," Loki chuckles. 

"Don't answer my question with another question, slave," he grabs the bulge tightly. "Answer me."

Tony groaned and his cock strained against the fabric, "If I tell you yes, will you keep touching me?"

Loki grabs even hard, nails digging in. "If you continue to play this game there will be consequences."

Somehow the little slivers of pain made him even more aroused, "Yes! Jeez, okay!"

Loki flicked his hand up and then delves under the fabric, gripping the human's cock hard, "Good boy. See, it's so much easier when you answer truthfully."

Tony choked out a groan, "I'm sorry for lying, master."

“I’ll accept your apology,” Loki caresses his face with his other hand. 

“This time,” He groped Tony’s shaft, feeling how hard it was.

Tony squirmed on Loki's lap, giving weigh under the god's touch. 

"Fuck," he breathed, "Why does this even feel good?"

“Because it’s me, dear human,” Loki purrs into his ear, "because I am your god, your master. Of course my touch will feel good.”

Tony felt his cock jump in Loki's hand, giving into the strain, "Are you... Are you gonna let me cum?"

“Would a good boy ask that question?” He asked, placing a finger under Tony's chin and pushing it up so he could look him in the eyes, “Or would he trust me?”

Tony didn't trust Loki, he really didn't, but this seemed like his only chance to get away and he also hadn't orgasmed in months, "Trust you, but master-" he started.

Loki forces his thumb into Tony’s mouth, “But nothing, my slave.”

Tony tries to speak again but is muffled. He began to panic slightly, worried Loki would be angry at him if he came all over his pants. He probably would be.

Loki couldn’t help but hum in amusement as a thought crossed his mind. 

“You know, since you like butts so much...” he grabs Tony by the shoulders and flips him onto the bed, showcasing again just how strong he was. Loki stood and started undoing his pants, releasing his very hard cock.

Tony panics again, closing his legs, "Wait, I'm not stretched, please..."

Loki reaches over and slaps him hard across the ass again. “Did I not just tell you to trust me, boy?”

Tony yelps and opens for Loki again, his legs trembling as he remembers their first time. He closes his eyes and his heart pounds in his chest, his erection flagging from the fear.

Loki sighs and undresses the human, who helps him only half-heartedly. 

Once he his undressed, Loki reaches between Tony's legs and parts his cheeks to admire his hole. He spots a bit of lube on his slave's rim and frowns, Tony really didn't trust him. He continues on, determined to have his way, and lubes up his fingers from the bottle next to the makeup. 

The first thing that goes into Tony’s ass is a finger; a long, slender, and very wet finger. A finger that slowly works him open.

Tony whimpers half in distress and half at the intrusion. His fear begins to subside as Loki’s touch is gentle, but he’s still only half hard and very shaky.

Loki runs a hand across his back, a gentle touch. He continues to work the human open, being very slow and very careful.

When Tony finally relaxes, he feels ready for another finger, trying to figure out his feelings with the current situation. Maybe Loki would have been this gentle with him the first time if he hadn’t been rude...he was so confused.

Deciding to do something about his current distress, Tony caught his breath and piped up, “Master, can I please have more magic? I’m having confusing thoughts.”

A large predatory smile spread across Loki’s face, “Such a good boy. Such a loyal boy.” 

His eyes glowed as magic flowed from him into the human. He would overtake him, taking away his will and controlling him. Tony was his.

As the magic overtook him, Tony felt freer again, like he was walking on a cloud.

“Thank you, master,” he murmured almost mechanically, “You can put more fingers in me if you want.”

Loki hummed And obliged, putting another finger in, continuing to work him open. He changed the magic slightly. As much as he liked obedient Tony, he wanted more emotion from him, more ecstasy.

Tony arched his back a little when Loki brushed his prostate, his erection filling out again, “Fuck that feels good.”

“Good boy,” he says, inserting another finger. There were three now, the human would be ready to take his cock soon.

Tony began making little sounds every time Loki’s fingers squelched in and out of him. When he added more lube, the sensation was deepened.

“M-Master, please touch my cock again,” he stuttered out, raising his hips and offering himself to Loki.

“Look at you, such a good boy asking so nicely,” Loki reached around and began playing with his cock. He then pressed his own against Tony’s ass, letting him feel just how hard the god was.

“Mmmm-ah!” Tony made a combination of a hum and a grunt as Loki rubbed his fingers over the tip of his cock, “Oh master, please put it inside me. Please put your cock in my filthy hole, please...” 

Tony couldn’t believe what the magic was making him say, but he craved release and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

“I do love it when you squirm and beg,” Loki said, “Beg more.” 

The god slid his cock in, feeling the tight contractions of the muscles in Tony's ass gripping his length and sucking him in.

Tony made a frustrated noise and pushed his hips back, feeling immensely pleasured as his hole was filled, “Please fuck me hard, master. Like a dirty whore, please..” 

He began to lose himself as his pre-cum leaked all over Loki’s fingers, he almost control of himself like a bitch writhing in heat, “Oh, it’s been so long...”

Loki started to move, thrusting in and out of the begging human, out of his whore of a slave. 

He removed his hand from Tony’s cock. “You’re going to cum just from me fucking you, slave.”

“Yes master, I’ll cum when you want,” Tony groaned and grunted as Loki fucked him deeper and deeper, “I want to be a good boy.”

Loki continues to thrust, picking up the pace. He slams into Tony’s ass, going balls deep, making a loud smacking sound. His fingers press hard on the human’s hips, they’re going to leave bruises.

Tony felt his climax coming as Loki rawed him at a bruising pace, “Fuck! I’m going to cum, I’m going to cum, master!”

“Cum for me, boy,” Loki commanded, slamming into him, “cum for your Master.”

"Oh, fuck! Yes!" Tony let out a guttural moan into the mattress as he came hard, "Oh, fuck, daddy..."

Loki wasn’t expecting that to make him shiver in ecstasy. He also wasn’t expecting for that word to make him cum, “Oh, what a good little boy you are.”

After Tony came down, he realized what he had just said. It was too late now, though. He felt the beginnings of Loki's warm seed dripping out of his hole and his own spend now decorated the blanket below him. They BOTH had just gotten off to whatever kind of fucked up sex that was.

Loki pulled out, sighing. He looked over the mess that was his human, “Do you wish to elaborate on your...interests? Or should we leave it be?”

"Let's clean up first," Tony breathed, "And order a pizza or something."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry this was posted so late but it's a smutty chapter so I hope that makes up for something! I had an eventful day and the both of us have been kind of busy lately. Since this chapter is really long, I think we might wait a couple of weeks instead of one to post the next chapter. We've already started working on chapter 10, which should already be long, but I don't know when it'll be done. We're going to do our best to write when we can, but we hope y'all are enjoying so far. :)


	10. Your Mouth, My Words

"So...how many food choices are there for this...pizza?" Loki asked, looking over the menu that Tony just handed him. Flatbread, he understood. Same with sandwiches. But... pizza...

"About 20, that's what all the normal places have. Mostly vegetables and different meats, and mushrooms," Tony took a moment to scan the menu, "Wow, this place has pickles, that's weird. Pineapple, that's a fruit, there's a bitter divide on whether that actually belongs on pizza. And uh, oh, god, they have anchovies on here, that's archaic."

"That is an unnecessary amount of ingredients," he says. "And anchovies? What exactly are those?"

“Small salty fish, most people don’t like them on pizza anymore,” Tony replied, his stomach turning just thinking about the topping.

“Hm, not the strangest food choice I have heard of,” he said. “I would not be adverse to having fish. What do you normally order?”

“Just pepperoni. I guess I’ll just order, then?” Tony decided not to cause a fuss. He’d order two pizzas anyway, Asgardians could eat and he could save his half of his pizza for lunch tomorrow. He could put up with a lot of things, but poisoning his pizza with anchovies was not one of them.

“Add a salad,” Loki added, flipping the menu over,“And a serving of these...brownie cookies. They sound interesting enough to try.”

“As you wish,” Tony said, dialing the number on the menu.

Loki finished off his last slice of pizza and wiped his hands with a napkin, “So, tell me, when will you be calling me daddy again?”

Tony couldn’t help but blush and almost choke a little on the big bite of pizza in his mouth. Steadying himself and swallowing, Tony tried to muster up a half-decent response, “I actually don’t know exactly what that was.”

"Then what made you call me that in the first place, boy?" the god sets a steady gaze on the human.

“It slipped out? Look, I don’t know, it just felt right?” Tony struggled to explain the feelings he had toward Loki at the current time. He felt safe sometimes, so safe, like Loki would never let him hurt again. And then other times he felt like he was barely a human to Loki anymore, nothing more than a mere simple creature to be used for pleasure and amusement. But surely... There was something there, something in that psychotic mind that cared whether he lived or died.

"There is nothing wrong with accepting that you have a kink," Loki states as he starts on the dessert, "What I want to know, is why it is your kink. What happened in your life that made you want to call someone daddy? What made you want to revert to the mindset of someone too young to understand the troubles of the world? To be someone who would have to give up all control to someone else?"

“I don’t know, don’t we all have daddy issues these days? Men kind of suck,” Tony tried to reason with him instead of spilling the very personal stories of his childhood, “Maybe I’m going crazy, I don’t know. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt free.”

“Well,” Loki reaches out his hand and places it on Tony’s arm, “You can be free with me, Tony. Through servitude, you can let your mind wander and be free of all of your troubles.”

Tony squirmed at the mention of servitude, feeling a bit sick at his lack of options and his contradictory feelings. He wasn’t quite sure what to say but was saved by his phone ringing. When he checked, he realized Pepper was trying to video call with him.

He denied the call and opened up their messages, “Can we text? I’m busy.”

“Now, why would you ignore your precious girlfriend?” Loki asked, leaning close to look at the screen.

“I, uh, I don’t know. I don’t really remember what we’ve been saying to each other lately? I don’t even really remember the last time I talked to her... it’s kind of fuzzy,” Tony responded nervously, looking down at Pepper frantically texting him. 

“Tony, pick up this damn phone,” she messaged, “I want to talk to you RIGHT NOW, I am sick of you avoiding me.”

“Here, little boy,” Loki places a hand against his temple, “let daddy take care of everything.” 

His eyes glow as he channels his consciousness into Tony’s, sharing a mind with him, sharing a body.  
Loki made Tony wait for the call to come, feeling his trepidation.

Pepper swiftly hit redial again when Tony left her on read and paced angrily in her office while she waited for him to pick up. Maybe he didn’t want to video chat, but she needed to hear his voice.

“Hey, Pep,” Tony’s voice said as he answered the phone. “How’s it going?”

Pepper was incensed by Tony’s casual take on the phone, “Oh, don’t you ‘hey’ me, what the hell is going on? Why are you being so elusive lately? I’ve had enough of this dodgy stuff you’re pulling with me, I’ve been so worried about you. What are you even doing out there-“

“I’ve been working on some stuff, I told you,” he said, exasperated, “I needed some time off, I needed to get away. I asked JARVIS to hold all calls for me and he’s been doing that.”

"Tony, you are isolating yourself, do you even understand? I know you’ve been shaken up about New York, but you have to come home at some point. You have to face this, you’ve got to get through it. I’ve been trying to be patient with you and give you your alone time, but enough is enough. Everyone wants you back,” Pepper babbled on frustratedly, “I booked a plane for tomorrow, I’m coming to visit you. I need to see you, in person.”

“Ah, come on, Pepper,” he adds a little whine. “You know I don’t like these kinds of surprises. Man, I’m not even going to have time to clean up everything. You don’t mind the smell of burnt metal right?”

"I'm hardly concerned about that, your current mental state is more important to me right now. I mean Jesus, Tony, did you expect to drop off the face of the earth after all of that?" Pepper didn't like how he downgraded the situation, feeling off-put at this normal-sounding Tony who was just barely functioning a few months ago.

“I mean, sometimes, you gotta drop off the face of the planet in order to feel better. Hey, I got captured and kept in a cave and then I came out as Iron Man. I’d say it’s a give and take," Loki kept the casual tone going, trying to get her to calm down.

"That's not the same thing, it's not," Pepper sputtered, aghast at his comparison, "That was Afghanistan. A real place. What attacked New York were aliens, aliens, and crazy space gods. You need help, Tony, and you need me. I'm still surprised you've gotten this far along on your own. Are you in some sort of cult or something?"

He couldn’t help but laugh, “And Asgard is a real place and so are the aliens and crazy space gods. Honestly, we’re just raising the bar right now.”

“We didn’t even know any of that existed before it came in here and destroyed our city, how are you so lax about this?!” Just then, Pepper’s secretary knocked on the door and urgently motioned from the window that it was important. 

Pepper nodded to her in acknowledgment and sighed deeply, “I have to go, duty calls, but we will be continuing this conversation tomorrow.”

“It’s called being so stressed, I’m calm. It’s great,” Tony waits as her focus was distracted. “All right, Pep, I’ll see you later.” He ends the call and Loki pulls his influence from the human. 

“I can always strike down her plane,” the god offers.

"What?" Tony shakes his head to clear it, "What did you just say to me?" He stands up, dazed.

“Oh, Miss Pepper will be arriving to check up on you tomorrow,” he states, leaning back, “And I offered you a chance to keep her at bay for the moment.”

"More like kill her," Tony growled, "Look, I'm not going to try to escape, you can't hurt her."

Putting his hands up, Loki tried not to roll his eyes at his human's sudden chivalry after basically ignoring his girlfriend for weeks, “It was merely an offer. If you would like to face her alone, then so be it.”

Tony's brow crinkled in disgust, but he didn't reply. He focused himself on cleaning up their plates, but the thoughts still stuck in his mind. he cursed himself for even staying on the idea, but if he had Loki play him he wouldn't have to deal with Pepper. As much as he loved her, he had no idea how he was going to explain anything to her. 

Maybe he could make a deal with Loki, if he didn't hurt her, he could just drive her away peacefully and slowly. That way, there wouldn't be any trouble and no one would be in danger. Even if the scenario did sound relieving, he couldn't bring himself to rationalize with it. He had to face her, he had to.

Loki waited patiently. He knew his human, his boy, would come around. The god wanted it to be Tony’s decision. Just another step of him giving up control. He smiled to himself when the man’s back was turned.

After cleaning up, Tony gave a hefty sigh, "Can I go take a shower?"

“Of course you may,” Loki says, standing and stretching. He made no move to follow.

Tony was slightly annoyed at Loki's apathy to his life, once again, but just excused himself to his shower. While he stripped off his clothes and looked at himself in the mirror, he wondered when the last time was that he felt entirely like himself. 

Instead of going on another mental tangent, he cleared his head and focused on getting into the shower so he could wash off the sins of the day. As the last few lingering thoughts were dispelled Tony watched the brown and black streaks of makeup swirling around in the water below him, going down the drain. He felt like it was a metaphor for his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Here's chapter 10 a day early, chapter 11 will be posted next week and chapter 12 is already in the works. Thank you for being patient with our schedule, we're trying to write whenever we have time. If you guys are interested, the last chapter of my new Ironstrange fic, Trouble in Paradise, is being posted this Wednesday and it's a smutty one! I'm also going to be coming out with a new Frostcap fic soon that you guys will probably like. Please rate and comment and let us know what you think about the fic! See you all next week. :)


	11. Dancing With The Devil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Strong emotion and manipulation in this one guys, as well as crying. Read with caution!

The next day, Tony nervously milled around and tried to clean things up before Pepper arrived. Wouldn't it be nice to go with her later, leave this whole life he was forced into behind? He smiled at how foolish the idea was, just a silly dream. By now he had given up hope of ever escaping Loki’s control. The least he could do, however, would be to spare his friends from Loki’s wrath. 

Once Pepper arrived, she strolled around the house and buzzed with questions for Tony, “I just can’t believe you’ve been here all alone… I mean, how are you even taking care of yourself, it looks like you haven’t been outside in a long time.”

“Nah, I’ve been out. Working on the new energy-efficient cars and stuff, remember those plans I had a long while back? I’ve finally been able to spend time on them,” Tony tried to seem lax.

“I know, but I mean, aren’t you planning to come back soon? You seem a lot better, don’t you think it’s time to come home?” Pepper turned to him and examined his face for details.

“Honey, I think this is my best work, honestly,” Tony lied, “I’m doing so well here, can’t you see that?” It pained him to do this to her, he saw how desperate she was.

“I can’t do this,” Pepper threw up her hands, “I can’t, you’re just lying to me now. Not even just me, you’re lying to yourself. This isn’t healthy, Tony. What’s going on, seriously?” She moved to embrace him, cupping the side of his face in her hand.

Tony sighed, his anxiety levels rising rapidly, “Nothing, nothing’s going on. I think you’re just missing me a little, but hey, I’m trying to move on. Isn’t that what you’ve been telling me to do from the beginning?” He shied away from her touch, feeling sheepish and pained more and more that he couldn’t confide in her anymore. It was just too dangerous.

“Move on?” Pepper pushed him away, “Move on from what, me? How could you say that? I know this has been hard for you, Tony, but you don’t even see what this is doing to me. I’ve been trying to be patient for you, I’ve been sitting there every night… I’ve been sitting there…” She began to tear up, feeling a spectrum of anger and hurt.

“Shh, Pepper, look…” Tony felt his own chest tightening, panic coursing through him, “Pepper…”

“No! I’m not going to let you glaze over this like everything else, you’re ruining your life, Tony! You’re ruining us!” Pepper began to sob, angrily flopping down into one of the living room chairs.

Tony closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing, but it wasn’t worth it. He silently begged Loki to show up and help him.

“There’s nothing I can say to her now,” he thought, depressed and frustratedly, “This is really ruined.”

"What kind of girlfriend are you?" Loki appeared behind Pepper, so close to her, looming over her and whispering into her ear, "What kind of girlfriend just gives up on her poor boyfriend like this? You know he's hurting, you know he has to figure things out himself sometimes. And what's so bad about him taking some time off? You two have taken breaks before, haven't you? You two can't be together all the time, after all. Besides, you are the one who took over his company, you took his precious baby from him. The least you can do is let him have a vacation."

Loki's eyes flicked up to look at Tony, "If he's causing harm by isolating himself, then what are you doing by breaking up with him? What are you doing by cutting the last lifeline he has? What would you say to yourself if he was destroyed because you couldn't trust him? Why don't you trust him? Is it because you don't trust yourself?"

He let the woman stew with his words in her head as he stepped past her and closer to his human, "You seem so lost, little one. Would you like some more help from me? Would you like me to take over for you? So you don't have to keep fighting against her? So you won't have," he placed his hand over the man's heart, "this fear inside of you? This pain? This anxiety?"

Pepper sobbed harder as a nasty voice in her head intruded, assaulting her with terrible thoughts. It was too much for her, and she got up to leave and clear her head.

Tony, on the other hand, folded, "Yes." He spoke aloud, stumbling toward Loki.

Loki smiled an awful and malicious smile. He kissed Tony on the cheek before the human surged forward and took Pepper into his arms.

Loki slipped easily into his body. He hugged her tight, keeping her close to him. 

"I'm so sorry, Pep," he said, resting his head against hers, "Please, don't leave. I'm so sorry. I fucked up. I should have checked in, I shouldn't have pushed you away like I did. I...I have so many excuses but they don't make up for me being awful to you. You've been so patient with me and I took it for granted. I took you for granted. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Pepper."

Pepper could barely even comprehend what was happening, now he was apologizing?

"What-" she said, her nose growing stuffy from all her crying, "What are you saying now?"

"I'm apologizing to you," he said. "Do you...do you not want it?"

"No-I mean yes, I mean, I'm just confused, why did you just change like that? What's gotten into you?" Pepper tried to quell her tears, wiping them away and pulling away from Tony gently. However, she caught a glimpse at his gaze. Strangely... Emotionless. But before, his eyes were glazed over, he was on the verge of tears just a few moments ago. Where had it gone?

"I...You're right, I've been here for too long. I've been cooped up in my head that I just...forgot how to...how to..." he struggled.

Loki had to think quickly, "Forgot to human, you know? I...forgot about a lot of shit when I tried to get away from everything. I tried to forget New York...so I did. I forgot...I forgot too much and I forgot you and that wasn't okay. It isn't okay. It's not okay at all. I'm...I'm not okay."

"Oh, honey," Pepper took his hands in hers, trying to ignore how off-putting the look in his eyes was, "We can go, you know? We can go get help, now even, if you want to. I want to help you get better."

Loki stepped forward, putting a hand on Tony's back and whispered into his human's ear, "I'm going to let you go with her. Let you go back to your life. But I won't be far away. You can't get rid of me, little boy. Your daddy will always be with you, no matter what. See your friends again, be with them again, enter the world again and I will be with you. We will take on the world together. Just daddy and his little boy."

Tony nodded at Pepper, "Yeah...yeah...let me just...let me just pack up my shit and shut down my lab."

"Okay," Pepper let go, almost hesitantly. She didn't want to let him go now that she had him back. After Tony exited, she went to go clear up her face, taking a napkin from the kitchen to wipe her smeared makeup. Most important, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief now that she could finally do something for him.

Tony went downstairs and grabbed some extra clothes he kept in a small closet down in his lab, in case anything got dirty. Loki's voice stuck in his head, echoing as he packed his things. A great sense of dread swept over him as he wondered how things would go. He wondered if he would ever feel normal again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for reading! This one was definitely an emotional chapter, you can kind of see that we're approaching something here with Tony's life. We're trying our best to find time to write, but Chapter 12 might be a little delayed. We're both busy with life and that really comes first, before anything else. However, we will likely have the chapter finished soon since it is already in the works. 
> 
> EDIT: Chapter 12 will be posted this Saturday 10/27!!
> 
> In the mean time for those of you who are interested, I'm doing Kinktober this month and I'm doing a bunch of ships and oneshots, for my MCU Oneshots Kinktober 2018 collection which can be found here: [MCU Kinktober Oneshots](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16184075/chapters/37818227/) . I updated today, actually, Day 7 is a really smutty Ironfrost one. If you look at the context, it could even be a little easter egg for the future of Tony and Loki's relationship here. ;) Anyway, my goal for those is to cover every day for Kinktober, and I'm using a lot of different ships, so hopefully there's something there for everyone. 
> 
> I'm also writing a Frostshield fic, A Ticket to London. It has Loki has a cynical and shrewd prostitute and Steve as a good boi who's trying his best to be a good soldier. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, you can find that here and the next chapter will be posted tomorrow: [A Ticket to London](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16142135/chapters/37715210/)


	12. Falling Deeper as the Distance Grows

Tony was zoning out again, Pepper was angry at him again. He squirmed a little bit, removing himself from his arms. He felt uneasy, maybe he was bothering her again. He felt that he did that a lot lately.

Pepper was deeply focused on the tablet in front of her. Work had been stressful lately, something had come up with one of the suppliers and it had thrown most of the production into confusion. 

Not to mention the many grad students that were becoming interns and working on their own projects. Not all of them were...projects that didn't involve some sort of explosion at one point or another. She bit her lip, trying to figure out how to best word her response to Happy. He had just alerted her to another schedule clash for the upcoming weekend. 

Feeling Tony move, her eyes glanced over at him, "What's up?"

Walking slowly over to the bathroom door, Tony carefully avoided the floorboards that made creaking noises.

He tensed up when she noticed him, "I'm going to have some medicine, I don't really feel well." He turned around, not looking her in the eye and focusing on a spot on the wall out of habit. "Did you want to do something later or can I have one?" he asked, tentatively.

"This is the fourth night in a row," Pepper said. "Are you feeling okay?" She put the tablet to the side and stood up, moving over to him to get a better look at his pale face. She began to feel suspicious of his 'illness'. Was he hiding something from her? An addiction, maybe?

Tony took a step back out of habit as he saw her walking toward him, but then corrected himself, "I'm just tired."

"But you shouldn't take so much of that stuff," she says, "it's not healthy for you. Do you need to see a doctor? I can arrange an appointment, Tony." She reaches out to put a hand on his shoulder, getting a good look at his eyes. They seemed so sad, lately, his eyes.

Tony flinched slightly, then blinked his eyes to cover himself, "Sorry, there was uh, a gnat." It didn't make much sense, but he didn't want to be rude, "Well, I don't know. I don't think so, they can't really help you with these kinds of things these days. They're probably just going to end up putting me on something stronger."

"Tony..." she bites her lip again. "They'll be able to help you. Not everything has to be drug-related. You can...you know...do like...I don't know," she sighs, "essential oils or something."

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm not a kid or an at-risk teen, they're just gonna tell me to 'stop working so hard'," Tony replied, "And what? How are those supposed to work?" He spoke dryly and quietly, averting his gaze. 

"Just...just promise me that you're going to be careful. We can't have you overdosing on this stuff, you know? You've been through drug stints before, I don't want to see that happen to you again. In the meantime, I'll do some research," Pepper knew when to back off. He wasn't going to listen to her in this state, but that didn't mean this was over.

Tony shook his head, "Don't worry Peps." He forced a smile, turning and making his way into their bathroom, "I won't let that happen, I'll figure something out. Maybe I am just working too hard."

She keeps herself from sighing, swallowing it. He...he was an adult. He had taken care of himself before, he would do so again-But she had to keep her eyes on him. No more Extra Strength Nyquil in the house, that would be her first step.

Tony shut the door gently, again not wanting to offend her, and then leaned over the sink. His eyes were red from being strained and open for so long. He tried to remember the last time Loki was here to give him his dose of magic. Was it three days ago? After the initial encounter he had with Loki while living with Pepper the god had been disappearing frequently. He never told Tony what he was up to. 

"Is it weird that I'm sort of jealous? Maybe he's cheating on me," Tony thought to himself as he searched the cabinet for the Nyquil.

Everything had been small at first. The breeze that sounded like the god's whispers. Seeing the trickster out of the corner of his eyes. Seeing him in his dreams, in his nightmares. Loki would appear in his thoughts, on the streets. He would wave to the human, smile, wink, casually bump into him on the street or in the parking lot. 

Loki would just...turn up and then disappear. He would speak a few words, sometimes even sentences, sometimes he would check in multiple times a day, other times he would show up once. There was no rhyme or reason, no pattern. It was all so...disorganizing.

Tony shut the cabinet once he retrieved his pills, this would be his second one today. He did a lot of napping to avoid the visions and thoughts that plagued him, and he would work for 2 hours to grind through his day's work. This gave Pepper the allusion that he was functional, and it worked as a poor supplement to Loki's magic.

He glanced at himself in the mirror, seeing Loki's reflection for a moment. This made him jump, his heart began to race.

Once he blinked, his own reflection was present in the mirror again. 

This was the first time he had seen Loki all day, and all he did was glance? Tony felt nervous, very much so. If Loki didn't love him anymore, what would he do? It had been so long since they had been able to cuddle, and their last time having sex was a week and a half ago. He didn't know how to solve that problem. 

The engineer had so many burning questions; why wasn't he happy to be back with Pepper anymore? Why was it so hard to even stay awake these days? Before he could continue, he filled a cup of water and downed his pill. 

"That's enough of that," he thought and turned to leave the bathroom. Trying to push away his feelings of uneasiness, hoping the medication would kick in soon.

Tony’s sleeping hours were so strange to the god, but that just meant he had left his mark. Loki would check in from time to time when he found himself in New York, he traveled loads in between the days when made his visits. More often than not it was out of sudden remembrance than planning. 

He had been grateful for a reprieve when they had first parted. Loki had been growing weary of his heavy magic use to keep his human functional. The god enjoyed a bit of relaxation, traveling and finding ways to refresh himself. The human would be fine, he was back in the life he wanted, anyway. 

He took the time to research his plans for future endeavors, and those took him to New York, close enough to check in on his dear little boy. He wouldn't visit as long as the human would have liked, but no matter. Loki was with him even if he didn’t know it.

It was when the man slept did Loki visit him the most, exerting his dreams and taking control of his body. He was learning how to be the human, gradually. It was a skill, and he had a knack for lying.

Tony woke up the next day, morning wood making him want to get out of bed and fix the problem. Tangled up in bed with Pepper like that, he almost felt normal again. Maybe he would make his girlfriend breakfast before she woke up. Maybe they'd go on a wine tour or something, some event only rich couples go to. 

Then he remembered Loki and his mess of a life, and his erection flagged a bit. Not because of Loki, but because he was disgusted with himself again. He hated mornings.

Loki, on the other hand, was enjoying his morning. Early to bed that night, and now early to rise, he had watched the sun break across the horizon as he spoke to one of the groggy villains that plagued New York. He did enjoy throwing his competition, or his allies, off guard. It wasn't really a conversation, but more of an informational meeting. The god did have plans, after all, and he had to stock up on supplies.

Unconformable and squirmy, Tony got out of bed and decided to make breakfast. He tried to ignore the panicked the feeling in his chest that refused to ebb. Was he going to beg Loki to give him more magic? Lie with him one more time before killing him? Tony didn’t know what to do.

It was easy for Loki to be himself in New York and no humans would be the wiser. He could change his appearance and no one would suspect a thing from him as he masqueraded in a different form. He enjoyed coffee and pizza, an unfortunate new taste he developed from his dear human. Same with learning that pizza could be eaten at any time of the day. There were breakfast pizzas, even. Loki liked those very much.

Tony made himself a sad breakfast of cereal and a plate of overcooked eggs and saw Pepper off for the day. She was always a menace in the morning from the stress. Tony saw it as a good thing, now. It just meant they could have less awkward conversations because he could avoid her morning temper by keeping his mouth shut. Often he just ate at the table quietly, letting her figure out what she needed for the day herself and not getting in the way

Keeping to his routine, Tony passed her the fruit salad he had made her before butchering his own meal, which she dumped into a plastic container, “Tony, you know I have no time to eat this on a plate. Just put it in my breakfast container and don’t give yourself more dishes to wash.”

“Sorry,” he replied, handing her the lid and sticking the plate in the sink. 

“Love you,” Pepper snapped the lid on and shoved it in her bag which she then slung onto her shoulder. “Try to paint that siding, remember? The siding outside on the balcony? It’s getting grody and we have guests coming over in two days," she added in before she gave him a goodbye kiss.

“Love you too,” Tony mumbled after the awkward kiss, walking back over to the table, “I’ll take care of it.”

“Great,” Pepper then did one last double check on her to-do list and was out the door promptly. After the door shut, the house was eerily quiet. 

“Siding,” Tony remembered, as he finished his sad breakfast. At least he had a project to complete, even if it was boring.

Loki leaned back, reclining in the sunshine of the park. It was such a nice day. Not too hot, not too cold. A soft breeze came about often enough and there were rolling clouds to keep the glare away. 

He watched as humans milled about their day, always hurrying from one place to another. They were so...boring, though. There were no loud fights or training like on Asgard. Everyone was so weak and kept to themselves. Children screaming was one of the few similarities. Such fragile creatures.

After Tony finished the siding, he felt being in the house was unbearable. He lusted for Loki, for freedom, for feeling normal again. He decided to go out and take a brisk walk, maybe it would get Loki’s attention, and he could get lost in the sights of the city.

The god was enjoying his day of relaxation but he felt a little prickle on his soul. His little boy was nearby. Of course, he was interested in those around him now, after being alone for so long.

Where was he? Loki stood and stretched. He decided that if his human wanted to brave the world again, his daddy should be by his side. He would find Stark and see just how well he's coping with being abandoned.

Walking peacefully for a few blocks, the neon signs, the constant chatter of people, wafting smells from food trucks took over Tony’s senses. For a while, it helped. Just walking, fast so no one would get a good look at his face, it was like he was a part of humanity again.

But as Tony continued on, it was like the sights and sounds grew louder, drowning out his heartbeat and the sounds of his breathing. It was like the world was attacking him from the outside in, and worse, he felt his chest tightening. When his breath became scarce, he looked frantically around for Loki. Why wasn’t he here?

Suddenly, Tony spotted a figure ahead of him, a man with long black hair in dark clothes. Had his master simply walked past him at a time like this? Was he really going to break their bond in a situation so severe? 

Tony surged forward in anger, grabbing the back of the man’s shirt, “Stay! Stay here, damn it?”

For a moment, he thought he saw Loki, but then he realized it was not his master.

“Yo, what the fuck? Let go of me, man!” the man, upon realizing who he was he gasped, "You're Tony Stark!"

Tony instantly unhinged his grip, eyes darting around for places to run to.

“Sorry,” he gasped for breath, “Thought you were someone else.” 

The man shook his head and continued on, Tony backed into the fence behind him, watching the steady stream of people continue. He felt like he was trapped against the fence, a rogue fish among an unknown, uncaring school.

Loki could have intervened. Easily, slipped in and guided the human away from the embarrassment he was about to bring upon himself. But he didn't, he couldn't really. That would have been against his nature, after all. He was the god of lies. God of mischief. He couldn't help but laugh to himself as his dear boy mistook a human for him.

Of course, there would have to be punishment in the end. How dare Stark confuse a pathetic human to be his god. But that punishment would come later, just long enough for Tony to fall deeper and deeper into confusion and despair.

Tony knew he had to get out of there when he saw a drop in the activity of the people walking, he quickly ran through the crowd and hailed a cab to bring him home. Even in the back seat where he was safe from being swarmed by people, the world around him was dizzying. At least he wasn’t far from home.

It was easy to reach the human's home quickly, flying was much faster than a car. Loki splayed out on the couch, in full view of the elevator doors so that when Tony entered, he would be there. He even picked up a magazine to seem disinterested in the world around him. What would his dear boy do?

Finally home, Tony was disheveled and out of breath. Once he was inside, he slumped against the door. He saw Loki on his couch and inwardly cursed at him for playing games while he was in a fragile state. Even so, he couldn’t be angry. He needed his master to give him his magic.

Loki continued to pretend to read the words on the pages- It wasn't very engaging, something about dating advice and how to properly care for a beard. Thor would enjoy reading something like it, no doubt. 

Tony closed his eyes and tried to calm himself before speaking, but he couldn’t really think of anything to say that wouldn’t get him killed. Part of him thought perhaps that wouldn’t seem so bad. All the same, he managed to stand himself up and get to the fridge to pour himself some water so he could function again. He silently fumed at Loki’s apathy towards him.

His eyes don't leave the page as he says, "Are you just going to stand there like a rude little urchin or are you going to say hello to your daddy like a good boy?"

“Why?” Tony’s voice cracked with the strain. It was the only word he could manage out. He gulped down his water and set the glass on the table, feeling queasy.

The god regards the human steadily, "Why should you greet me? I could tell you a number of reasons why, little boy."

Tony’s patience breaks and he walks towards Loki, silently fuming, “Why don’t you care anymore?”

"Of course I care," he says, lowing the magazine, "But you cannot expect me to be at your side every hour of every day. Daddy has his own business to take care of, after all."

“You’re never here anymore, hardly ever. You never touch me anymore, you don’t sleep with me, this is the end of the line. I just had a panic attack in public and you didn’t do anything. You broke the deal,” Tony tried to seem less like a raving madman and more like a stoic soldier, but he was still shaking and weaker than ever.

Loki puts the magazine down and stands up. He always loved towering over the human. Walking towards him, he does just that. "Oh, my dear boy, do not think I've forgotten you," He reaches out to touch Tony's cheek, "I cannot be everywhere at once. I am sorry I was not there to help you."

Tony gasped for breath and leaned into Loki’s touch instantly, his facade giving way, “God, Loki, what am I going to do? I don’t think I can live like this anymore.”

"There is always the option to just let go," he says, pulling the man close, "Let go of it all and let me take control."

“What are you talking about?” Tony replied, his voice muffled as his face pressed into Loki's chest, “‘Control me?’”

"Not control you, really. You would still be aware and have enough input in case something comes up, but it would be more like...autopilot," Loki explained, flitting through Tony's hair with his fingers absentmindedly, using his other hand to stroke his jawline.

“Have you been doing that?” It clicked for Tony, finally, “Is that why I can’t remember anything?” He moved back to look up at Loki, who stopped playing with his hair. 

"My dear boy, you've been having such an awful time focusing on things," Loki says, "there's just so much going on in your head. I couldn't let you run yourself into the ground and destroy yourself. I had to step in to give you time to rest."

"Rest? That isn't resting, Loki. That's mind control. We agreed you wouldn't be in my head," Tony put his foot down here. His body was still his body, this should not be allowed. 

Even so, the idea of just letting the reigns go seemed appealing in some ways. He was so exhausted from keeping up the charade that sometimes he wondered if it was even worth it.

"I am always in your head, boy," Loki says, his grip tightening on the side of Tony's chin into a firm grip, "I am always with you, and you know your place here."

Tony gasped at Loki's fingers pressing into him. The bastard was finally releasing some magic to calm his heart rate, and there was no will left in his body to reject it. Tony's anger dimmed almost immediately as the magic coursed through his body, calming him and soothing his frayed nerves.

Soon after, Tony became aware of a heated feeling prickling in his chest and in his groin, "What are you doing?"

"Reminding you of who we are," the god says, bringing Tony's face closer to his, "Reminding you of what we are." He draws Tony into a kiss, forcing his lips open if he has to. Loki was going to remind Tony of what kind of power he had over him, of what he could do to the human. He was going to do what he wanted to Tony, and his little slave was going to love it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks again for the patience. We're doing all we can to keep this going, and we can see a clear end for this fic in sight. After a lot of careful planning, we have the next few chapters mapped out and we think the ending will be interesting. Chapter 13 will be posted within the next couple weeks. Again, please rate and comment to let us know what you think and have a great day!


	13. It's All About The Sex...Except For The Sex

Tony's legs shook, his arms shook, his whole body trembled with need, he needed to cum...again.

Loki's fingers stroked Tony's erect cock, gripping it firmly as he pumped. His teeth nipped at the human's skin as he pinned Tony's arms above his head with his free hand.

Tony made inaudible noises as his hips jerked up, trailing his fourth orgasm. There would be no rest afterward, no peace. Loki would do it again, and again, and again until HE wanted to stop.

He was never one to like mumbling, no matter what was happening to his dear boy. He leaned up, whispering into Tony's ear, "Come again?"

Just then, Loki forced upon him that burst of magic that he had been using to wrench orgasms cruelly from Tony's overstimulated cock. Once again, Tony came, almost tortuously, onto his belly. He was beginning to feel sticky between Loki's cum on his face and chest and his own spend decorating his belly in spurts.

His poor, abused dick throbbed almost painfully, "Oh god, please Loki, no more. What do you need me to do? What do you want from me? Just please stop, daddy, please stop..." His voice was broken and his throat raw from straining and begging, he didn't know how to escape.

"Oh, no, little boy," he grins down at the human. "Is this too much for you? Am I giving you too much pleasure?"

"Yes! Please, just let me rest, I don't want to cum any more daddy," Tony tried to move out from under Loki, moved his hips to retract himself from Loki's cock.

"No, I don't think so, little boy," Loki says, "I am not done with you yet. I have been away from you for so long, I have not touched you in so long. I need to make up for lost time."

Tony got halfway off the bed before an invisible force pulled him back, forcing him on his stomach, "God, no, please don't!"

"I told you I was not done," he slaps Tony across the face,"How dare you try to get away from this? I am your master."

The engineer's legs were pinned down and his hole gaped slightly, burning from the misuse as Loki aligned himself again, "Please-Please at least use more lube, it's starting to hurt."

"It's hurting because you're clenching too much," Loki says moving his cock out of the way, twirling his fingers in the air before sliding one into Tony's ass. There was lubrication, but not as much as Tony wanted. The god was hard again and wanted Tony's ass, but he would rather sate him a bit before fucking into him again-Mostly to spare his ears from the screaming that would ensue if he went in too dry.

As Loki's long fingers went in, they reached deeper than his cock had, making Tony moan once more. Even if the sensation was initially nice, it soon faded and became uncomfortable again. His dick hung limply between his legs, too used to want to cum more. He hoped Loki wouldn't touch him there again.

Loki's finger twisted and massaged, and then he reached just the right point, Tony's prostate. The poor human looked so tired, his dick so used. But the god didn't need to touch Tony's cock to make him cum.

Tony's face was pressed into the pillows, sweat dripping down his neck and back. He felt humiliated and tried to bring himself up on his hands and knees again, "Please no, please not again..."

"No, no, little boy," Loki forced him back down, channeling magic into him. Humans had such little stamina, so very little will. He was going to make the man cum one more time. He continued to fuck Tony's prostate. "Remember, daddy knows best."

The intrusion of the magic, in addition to Loki's fingers reaching deeper spots inside of him and stroking his overtired ball of nerves, made Tony's dick begin to fill out again. The dull ache becoming an ardent need to release once more, Tony's hurdled shakily toward orgasm once more.

"Cum for me, little boy," Loki says, forcing the man to cum, fingers digging into his prostate. 

Yowling in pain and strained pleasure, Tony's cock let out a few sad drops of cum onto the bed below him, his hole clenching around Loki's fingers. When his short-lived orgasm concluded, his sore body gave out. His muscles collapsed and relaxed, rendering him unable to move. His heart rate was rapid and he ached all over, he had no energy left to beg or run away. 

The god watched him, casually rubbing his fingers together. Humans were so soft, he seemed to be reminded of that. He had thought by now Tony would have some sort of resistance, but maybe not. He was such a poor, weak little boy, after all.

Tony began to sob quietly into the blankets, curling up into a tight ball and trying to ignore the fiery pain in his ass and in his groin. He wasn’t bleeding, but he was so incredibly irritated and tired. In a matter of a few hours, Loki had turned his previous need for pleasure into that of pain.

Loki smiled to himself, happy at the state the human was in. He reaches down, wrapping his arms around the man. With strength a god has, he picks Tony up gently. "Come now, let's clean you up."

Tony hid his face in Loki’s chest, beginning to come down and feeling completely humiliated by the state he was in.

“Okay,” he mumbled out weakly, hating this entire day and wondering when the torment would end. 

The faucets in the bathtub turn on their own, letting out hot water as Loki carries his victim into the bathroom. The smaller man shivered against him as his feet rested atop the cold bathroom tiles. Loki rested a firm hand on Tony's back to keep him in place while they waited.

He lets the tub fill up for a few minutes before he puts Tony gently in, "How does the water feel?"

Tony moaned in relief as his sore body met with the warm embrace of the bathwater. 

“Better,” he croaked out, “Much better. But I’m still sticky.” He yawned sleepily, tiredness overtaking him.

Loki hummed a tune as he cleaned Tony up, washing him up and down, being as gentle as he should. He would clean his dear boy and make him nice and pretty again.

“Daddy?” Tony whispered sleepily as he laid back, letting Loki wash him.

"Yes, little boy?" Loki murmured, reaching out to run his fingers over Tony's soft neck. The gesture of Loki touching him might have felt nice if he was literally anyone else, but instead it made Tony feel just as weak and hopeless as his body was. There was nothing left that he could do, he felt that Loki had thoroughly broken him.

“I think I’m going to fall asleep,” Tony tried to blink open his eyes and he failed to keep them open long enough, “I don’t feel so good.”

"Do not worry, little boy, I have you. I'm in control, there is no need to worry about anything." His voice is soaked in magic, laced with poison.

With that, the engineer felt himself give way under some of the strongest waves of magic he’d ever been put under. Dizzily, he fell into the lull of sleep as Loki finished washing him. He barely felt himself being lifted out of the tub. He felt like he was being encircled by tiredness, tiredness that pressed him down and made his mind float above.

He lost consciousness as Loki dried him off gently, with a towel, each pat pushing him deeper into submission in his own body. He hung limply in the god's arms as he was carried back to bed, almost innocent looking as he slept. For now, he rested, and he would need it. 

Even so, nothing would prepare him for the storm to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Once again, thank you for reading and supporting our fic. We have already discussed a clear ending for the story that we can see in sight within the next few chapters, which will likely take a little while to write as both of us are busy with school and life. Hopefully, though, chapter 14 will be done in the next couple weeks. In the mean time, please like and comment to let us know what y'all think, I'm pretty sure by now you guys know I love reading what you have to say. ;)
> 
> *Once again, if you like Ironfrost and are looking for more from me, I'm still writing Kinktober oneshots for a bunch of MCU gay ships. My latest Ironfrost one is for [Day 16](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16184075/chapters/38758382) and the latest oneshot for that collection is currently [Day 18](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16184075/chapters/38836307), a Frostshield oneshot. I will likely upload a new one today or tomorrow, whenever I have time.
> 
> *Edit 1-9-19: Hey Guys! Just wanted to let you know we haven’t forgotten about this fic. It’s been busy lately but we’re hoping to get some stuff done soon when we have time. :) School, work, and college are very busy atm so we’re gonna be trying our best.
> 
> *Edit 3-27-19: Hello everyone! We have new developments brewing so stay tuned!


	14. Two Souls, One Shell

Loki had no idea how Tony managed to sit through all of the meetings he had without breaking someone, but here he was, no-Here _they_ were, sitting in Tony’s body, listening to these humans drawl on and on about one thing or another. The company needed money for this department, there was a security breach in that department, a group was planning on going on strike, it was too much. And there were so many documents to sign. Too many. He could barely get through them without drifting off and thinking about other things. Oh, right, this was probably why his little boy had put Pepper in charge. But, he had forgotten to mention that, so now here Loki was, taking control of the company for Tony again because that’s what he wanted to do. Pepper hadn't been happy but welcomed the break to do whatever it was she did when she wasn't running herself rampant. 

Tony felt like he was swimming around in the soup of his own head. With nothing else to do, no power to stop what was happening to him, he had decided to let go. Loki was going to do whatever he wanted with his body, and there wasn’t much he could do about it until Loki came back. Even then, what would he do? Beg? 

No, no, there wasn’t anything he could do now. Instead, he revisited old memories, or rather, they visited him. Faces came back to him, not all of them significant. It was like seeing clips of his own life as a movie. A few seconds he remembered from biology class in high school. Laughing with his friends after a game. Letting go of a balloon and watching it float away. Ice in a glass of rum. His father. A man on the train. 

Tony reached out, plucking at the remembrances like threads. Was this all he had now? A mere look at the past life he had? Was this all he had to do before death? He wasn’t sure, but at least it was something to do. He decided to dive into things.

If dealing with all these business people was a chore, then dealing with Pepper was a project. He had to be careful, though, Loki couldn’t let her know. She was concerned enough and attentive enough that she would see through him if he stepped out of character. The woman had already voiced dissent when he chose to have Tony start taking back the company, the human had given it away to her, anyway. She was the CEO, not him. But likewise, Loki assured her it would only be a short time. He smiled to himself as he thought of the plan he'd made. Soon, everything would fall into place, it was only a matter of time.

And yet he was, saying that Tony wanted to take his life back, that he was ready to be part of the company again, that being an Avenger had caused him all this grief that he needed to think about his life’s work instead. Pepper was curious, she was hesitant, and she was an intelligent human who knew Tony front to back. But Tony belonged to Loki now, and Loki was going to do as he pleased. Damn this woman’s concerns. Unfortunately, his position meant that he had to lie with her when she asked, he had to make his boy lie with this woman in order to keep her happy at times. It wasn’t even sex, it was just sharing a bed with the two being so close, so tender. To Loki, it was disgusting. What was the point of laying around holding onto someone if they weren't even pleasuring him?

Just as Loki was making himself sick thinking about the mushy love the human had for his little boy, Pepper walked into the office, coffee in hand and brown and red Louboutins clicking on the floor. 

She wanted to see what Tony was up to today, especially since he had been acting so strange lately. At home, he was even more distant from her than ever before; and whenever she acknowledged it, his sunshiny demeanor would return. But still...Something wasn’t right. She noticed he wasn’t self-medicating anymore or even drinking, which was a plus; but Tony just wasn’t Tony lately. Whenever he got the opportunity, he was down in his lab and got extremely defensive if she visited him while he was there. 

She was starting to become suspicious that something else was awry...If he wasn’t doing drugs and he was heeling from the attack, why didn’t he feel...right? Was she simply falling out of love with him, or vice versa? 

No, it wasn’t that. Pepper decided she was going to test something out. There had to be something, she just wasn’t looking hard enough. 

Plunking down the coffee cup on his desk, she gave him a cheery smile, “Hi Tony, what are you working on?”

Loki made Tony look away from the whiteboard he was standing in front of. There was technobabble on every corner of it that he had been throwing on there for the past...however long it had been. He had reached into the recesses of his boy’s mind, brushing ever so slightly against the human’s consciousness as he did so, to pull out one of the projects Tony had been working on. 

“Looking at some geothermal energy possibilities, like all those vents at the bottom of the ocean floor. If we could use those without disrupting the natural habitat, then maybe we could put research stations down there,” he says all of this without looking at her, reaching behind him for the coffee to take a long drink. Gods, he couldn't get over how terrible this hot bean water tasted. Humans had no idea how repulsive the swill was, it was sad.

Loki hated coffee, but Tony was addicted to it. He had to keep the human’s body sated with the stuff to keep him from going through withdrawal. It was a small price to pay, however. The constant flow of magic it took to maintain his control over Tony and keep his body running on barely any food was tremendous, and Loki was starting to feel the limits on his own power. Likewise, this wasn't a permanent situation, and it was an investment compared to what he would gain when he was finished. 

“Oh, that’s neat, weren’t you working on that a while ago?” Pepper tried, narrowing her eyes and approaching the board as well. She decided she was going to test him. 

“I did, but you know me, gotta follow every rabbit trail that comes across my path,” he shrugs, “Got reminded about it early today and decided to pick things back up again.”

“Interesting, well, you have fun with all of that,” she put a comforting hand on his back and rubbed him slowly, a gesture he had always enjoyed, “I have to go on that trip tonight, remember? I don’t think I’ll be gone long, I just need to go for a press tour across the country.” Now, Pepper knew well enough that she had not mentioned this trip, and that he probably would have forgotten anyway if she had told him, but she needed to see the look on his face.

Confusion, that was what he needed to have in his face and in his eyes if he wanted to look like Tony. Just, plain old confusion, nothing else. No real concern, no hint that he couldn’t have her gone for very long, “Trip? What trip? I thought we...we had a thing tomorrow morning? Breakfast, right?” That was actually tomorrow, right? That wasn’t next week. This human’s schedule was so full and annoying to keep track of.

“I don’t remember you mentioning that, but if you’re gonna miss me I’ll try to be home real soon, okay?” Pepper leaned in to give him a peck on the cheek. 

Trying to keep the knee-jerk reaction of disgust off his face, Loki forced himself to look happy as he tried to think of a way to get away from Pepper. He was tired of trying to act cute with her, of kissing her and making his boy interact with her. It was revolting, playing nice with this human. This had been going on for a while and he was not going to keep dealing with it for a moment longer. Loki reached back across his link with Tony and pulled his boy back out. 

_"Deal with her,"_ he told him, _"make her happy so she can leave us alone. Do so and I shall reward you, my dear little boy."_

Tony was alarmed when Loki’s voice sounded and his visions began to ebb away from him. He felt like a toy being yanked out of the toy bin by a careless child, thrust back into the harsh and bright world. Within seconds, he was standing in front of Pepper. He felt her hand on his back and he instantly leaned into her touch, the first comfort he had had in ages. Instead of her feeling like a burden again, he realized how much he was longing for her again...and how he ached for a comforting touch. 

Giving her a smile, he rested his head on her shoulder, “What were we talking about, Peps?” He asked, feeling tired and tranquil from his time inside of his mind. He felt like he was still walking around in a sweet, thick fog, in a state he could not escape from.

Pepper tried to keep her brow from furrowing when he asked that question and struggled to keep from pursing her lips. She had seen him off before, seen him so focused on a thought that he forgot they were talking. But this wasn’t like that. This wasn't like that at all. Something was wrong, something had changed in the briefest of moments, “That I’m going on the press trip, remember?” His behavior was also a strange mystery. Just a second ago when she kissed him, he had barely moved, and now it was like he completely flipped a switch.

“Oh, yeah, why are you going to that? You can just make someone else go and represent the company,” Tony lazily leaned into her, burying his face in her neck and bringing her close to him, “You should stay with me.”

 _"No. I don’t want her here,"_ Loki's voice snapped in his head, clearly irritated by Tony wasting his time.

“Tony, we’ve talked about this,” she says, still puzzled by his moody behavior but rubbing his back to comfort him, “I’m essentially the face of this company. They’re expecting me to go.”

“Oh, okay,” Tony took a few inhales, breathing in her sweet scent again and tensing up when Loki’s voice sounded in his head. The reality set in again brought him out of the fog. Tony felt, for the first time in a long time, like he didn’t want to do what Loki was saying. If only he could take her hand and walk out of this office forever, what he wouldn’t have given for that. What he wouldn’t have given. 

Wouldn’t. That was the keyword. He would never get to be happy with Pepper again. Loki controlled him now, and he was going to do bad things in his body. There was no way out, he was done for and there was no hope left for him. Tony knew he would have to do something about it… But not before he said goodbye. He pulled away from Pepper again.

“Just be back soon, I guess. You can leave now if you want, I’ll wrap things up here before we close for the day. I’m a little rusty on this whole business thing, but I’ll be okay. I don’t want to hold you up,” Tony told her, somberly.

At this, Pepper narrowed her eyes. Something was really, really wrong. She couldn’t tell what it was. Maybe he was trying to convince himself he wasn’t going to relapse, maybe it was something else. 

“Tony...are you okay?” She leans back and puts a hand on his cheek, “Do you really need me to stay?”

 _"No. I don’t want her. Make her leave, boy. I will not be patient much longer,"_ Loki was becoming short-fused as a result of Tony's dawdling. His boy had not resisted him like this in a very long time, and he decided to revoke his reward for compliance to remind him of his place. He decided against punishing him for the time being, but if Tony kept it up, there would have to be consequences.

“Tony, what’s going on?” Pepper urged, deep sincerity and concern lacing her tone.

“No, no, baby, I'm fine. I’m just a little tired today that’s all. Might take the afternoon off myself, don’t worry about me,” Tony gave her a fake reassuring smile and leaned in to kiss her one last time, hesitating right before their lips met, “Tomorrow’s another day.”

Pepper kept the kiss going as long as she could. She loved him and all of his flaws, but sometimes he worried her too much. She knew he wasn't himself, but she just can't place why.

"I love you, Tony," she whispered as Tony broke the kiss.

“Love you too, Pepper,” Tony gave her hair a last stroke with his hand, letting it trail away slowly. He felt like his connection faded as soon as he let go. Loki was being hasty, but for what reason? But at this point, why even ask? There was no telling what the god would do with him next. 

With one last sobering look, Tony’s control was taken back by Loki. He was again taken away from his only love, only to be whisked back into the frightening maze of the recesses of his own mind.

Pepper took her leave after seeing the look in Tony's eyes change again, his gaze full of pathos. It was as if some sort of deep realization had dawned on him. He looked at her like it was the last day of the world, and she couldn't help but feel like something still wasn't right, even after their discussion. Never before had an "I love you" sounded so mournful and empty to her. His personality was as unruly as the burning flame of a candle, flickering one way and wheedling over to another, all while being too distant to decipher.

Spending about fifteen minutes hiding out in one of the copy rooms after leaving Tony's office, Pepper had an intern move her car to a different parking lot before Tony had left. She watched him leave the building, glancing around him like he was subconsciously aware of being followed...Or like he had something to hide. Hurrying silently after him, keeping a solid distance away and maintaining a low profile, she made her way to her own car and spotted Tony exiting onto the street from across the parking lot. He hadn't even so much as glimpsed her way. Still being cautious, Pepper climbed into her own vehicle and kept hot on his trail. She was going to get to the root of this, even if it involved telling Tony a little white lie.

Keeping Tony moving was a burden sometimes. His feeble boy was so tired now, so off in his own world. It was all up to Loki to keep him moving. 

He was annoyed, though, about the fact that Tony had sought to get Pepper to stay- And to think the god had even thought of giving his boy some freedom before that happened. But, no, his poor little boy still couldn't relinquish his hold on his old life, on the humans he so once cared about. He wouldn't care about them much longer, oh, no. No, Loki was going to make sure he would be the only one Tony ever thought about.

Pepper tailed Tony silently, always making sure to keep her distance from his car. He didn’t make any stops on the way home, which was normal and convenient for the time frame, and she began to wonder if she was just being paranoid as she saw him going to make his way through the security system at the tower. 

Parking her car a few blocks away, Pepper knew this was when it would get difficult. She paid the meter and tried to come up with a plan to avoid Tony finding out she was home. With Jarvis, it would be impossible. But what if she watched him from afar? Pepper quickly trotted up the fancy hotel that mirrored the tower from across the street. She checked her purse and found a good amount of cash, perfect for a bribe. All she needed was a room for about half an hour and she would be set.

If he was anything, Loki was thorough. Anything that could possibly be used to kill a human, he had access to. Well...Everything that he could buy off of the internet. It was a...collection, to say the least. He surveyed his stockpile of items that could make any person's life extremely unfortunate. Gallons of bleach, too much rope, tasers that were too big, weapons of many kinds, and a bunch of other menancing objects he just randomly selected before purchasing. Of course, he had taken extra precautions to ensure no one tracked the location to Tony, or else he would have a S.H.E.I.L.D investigator on his doorstep faster than he could take a breath. He had a plan, and once it was finished, his dear boy wouldn't need anyone else anymore. He wouldn't even _have_ anyone else anymore.

After paying the lady at the front desk, Pepper took a spot by the window. Tony didn't hide much in the Tower from the outside world- much to the despise of many politicians. Using some of Tony's tech to see further, though, she could spot Tony mulling around what looked like a bunch of...Questionable items. 

Rope, tasers, bleach, and other items all around Tony, who seemed to be taking inventory of what was before him. When her eyes met a table of guns and knives nearby, that was when her blood ran cold. What the hell was he planning? Nothing good, was her guess. She loved Tony, loved him so much it hurt, but what exactly was he doing with an arsenal? 

For once in her life, Pepper didn't trust Tony's eccentric mind to do the right thing. How could he, with all of those dangerous items? She knew who she had to call, and she would have to make it posthaste before Tony did something, Her heart beat frantically as she pulled out her phone, dialing the number. A sinking, sickening feeling came over Pepper as she put the phone to her ear. Something told her that something very, very bad was going to happen.

Meanwhile, Tony seldom peered in at what Loki was doing. He knew. And there wasn't any sense risking Loki hearing his thoughts on the matters, that would only put him in more danger. Mostly, he let Loki take the lead when it came to his body. There was really only one way he could fix all of this for good, and he would need all of his energy to do it. For this reason, he determined that floating around in his consciousness was the best bet to keep himself rested. He moved from memory to memory, trying to make sense of things, questioning how he even let it get this bad. At least things wouldn’t be like this for much longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update at last! Thank you everyone for being so patient and for sticking with us on this journey. We've both had a really busy last couple of months, but we're hoping to finish the story very soon and encourage you to bookmark the story so you'll know when the next chapter comes along. Now that we're back into the groove of writing, it shouldn't be too much longer. Since we've got this huge ending planned, we're also thinking about a sequel if you guys are really passionate about the story. Let us know what you think of Chapter 14 in the comments and have a wonderful Friday night!
> 
> *It may also be a good time for those of you who have been following for awhile to revisit the tags and the warning at the beginning of the fic. It's been awhile, so we want to remind everyone of the triggers and that there will be very dark themes ahead. Please protect yourself if you are sensitive to themes like suicide, we don't want anyone to get upset from reading our story.


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